Live Stock:
Animal rearing is an integral part of agriculture, as the bulls plough the fields, and buffaloes, cows, and goats give milk, curd, buttermilk, ghee, and meat. The sheep provide wool for blankets. Moreover, the dung of these animals is used as manure, and fuels. The skins are used for shoes making purposes (Some people also make cards of it for the texture of cots).
In Swat, the live stock may be grouped into two types:
- Rural Cattle
- Pastoral Cattle
Rural Cattles:
The rural cattle include those quadrupeds that are being kept by the peasants for their personal use. Bulls, buffaloes, and cows are the common among them. The sheep and goats are reared too, but not with much interest. The cattle are fed husks, grass, and Shawtal (a kind of green grass). In winter, when there is not green grass, the dry grass, the husks, paddy, and dry plants of maize are fed to them.
Pastoral Cattles:
The pastoral cattle are largely consisting of goats and sheep. No doubt, the buffaloes and cows also exist in this type, but little. Generally, the cattle are reared by the nomads. Regarding a small difference in profession, the nomadic people are of two types:
-
Gujar (Cow-herd)
-
Ajar (Shepherds)
Gujar (Bandar):
Gujars are called those nomads who keep buffaloes and cows. As buffaloes and cows are heavy animals, so they cannot be driven easily to the pastures ("Bandas"). So, they settled in the suitable environment, and started peasantry life with their old profession of rearing the cattle of big animals. However, the Gugers who keep continued the seasonal migration are called Bandars.
Ajar:
Ajars are those nomads who keep sheep, and goats. A poor Ajar has cattle more than five hundred sheep and goats.
In summer, May and June, when the spring is in full bloom at the pastures, the atmosphere is fragrant, and environment is peaceful, each family of Ajar migrate to their pasture known as "Banda". They stay there with a happiest life, and graze their cattle with much interest. In spite of the hard transportation of foodstuff to these pastures, the Ajars become very polite and hospitable here.
After staying there for about four months, they commence again their journey downwards, and drive their streaming flocks to the plain areas in September-October. They seek shelter from the severity of harsh weather conditions by migrating to comparatively warmer situations, where they can graze their flock easily. So, many of them go to Buner.
The source of the income of Ajars is their cattle. They sell wool, hairs of goats, butter oil, hides, and the sheep, and goats, and earn their livelihood.
The Beast of Burden:
The beasts of burden kept in Swat are mules, donkeys, and ponies. Some of the farmers keep only donkeys for their own needs.
So far as the live stock concerns, it decreases gradually. This is due to the fact that the grazing land is shrinking. In the early times, the farmers were giving either yearly or seasonally rest to the fields. But now, the fallow lands are unavailable. This shortage of open fields caused the decrease of rural cattle.
Poultry:
In Swat, every farmer has enough hens to meet his own needs. So for as the commerce is concerned, much attention has been given to this profession. Now there are many poultry farms: About each large village have at least one poultry form. Chickens, particularly capon, are available everywhere in abundance.
Wild Life:
In early days when the shrubs and bushes covered slopes and foothill areas, the rabbits, porcupine, fox, jackal, wolf, pigs, and hyenas were in large number. Now the need for fuels decreased the scrubs and trees, so these animals have decreased considerably.
In the forests, lions, tigers, bears, and monkeys are found.
Among the birds: hawks, eagles, falcons are found in the high mountains, while pheasants, partridges, hoopoes, larks, sparrows, quails, doves, swallows, starlings, nightingales, crows, kites, vultures, owls, bates are the common birds.
Bees:
The bees were kept in Swat commonly, and the pure honey of was famous all over the country. But now the moveable beehives have affected the Swat locally reared bees greatly. Now, the local good honey is found in remote areas only, while the honey of moveable hives is available everywhere in low prices.
Fisheries:
There is a large fishery in Madyan. In this fishery the trout fish are being reared. In Kohistan-e-Swat there are some private fisheries too.
In Buner the fish were being reared in Barandu, Dagar.
Moreover the Swat River serves as a permanent fishery throughout the year while the tributaries of it are used for fishing only in spring season.
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