In Pakistan's Sindh, a breeder raises goats known for 'pink' skin — and high prices

SANGHAR, SINDH: Mangal Khan Bugti, a goat breeder from southern Pakistan, has had a special hobby since 2006: raising a popular goat breed known for its pure white hair, soft pink skin, and high price.

Gulabi, which means pink in Urdu, is a popular goat breed found in Pakistan's Sindh province. The goats have distinctive long ears and neck, a large body, and give off a pale pink sheen. Other features of the breed include a dewlap, or flap of skin that hangs beneath the lower jaw or neck, a parrot-like nose, and ears that can be as long as 28 inches.

“Twenty-two years ago, I started this hobby of keeping Gulabi breed. Today, by the grace of Allah, the Gulabi breed which I have is nowhere in Pakistan and even in the world,” Bugti, widely respected nationwide as a Gulabi breeder, told Arab News.

The goats are not sold as sacrificial animals on Eid Al-Adha, he said, but rather are nourished for their beauty and considered a sign of wealth and status.

“I have purchased one goat breed for Rs2.5 million rupees ($12,000)," the breeder, who hails from Sanghar district, said. "One female goat which I have right now is three and half million rupees ... These animals are for hobby and only the rich can afford this hobby.”

At present, Bugti has 45 Gulabi goats which he said he raises “like my own kids.”

“I feed him with wheat, Acacia nilotica tree seeds, and small children are fed with mother’s milk,” said the breeder, who has given each goat a unique name: Lovely, Prince, Guddi (Doll), Dil Lagi (Beloved), Chambeli (Jasmine), Malka (Queen), Mastani (Intoxicated), Khushboo (Fragrance).

The goats have been named according to their personality, he said, smiling: "For instance Lovely is really lovely.”

Bugti puts so much effort into fostering his goals because their price depends on their beauty.

“I have one female Gulabi goat at my farm which I purchased three years ago for two and half million rupees. One of my goats, which died recently, its price offer was five million but I didn’t sell because of my passion.”

Bugti said he would not sell Prince, “even if someone offers me 5 million rupees.”

“I purchased him for Rs500,000 when he was a baby,” he said.

“I sell only those goats which have less beautiful characteristics or have flaws. Two years ago, one party came from Saudi Arabia, they offered me Rs25 million for 16 goats, out of which fifteen were female and one male. However, I didn’t sell them.”

“Many breeders from abroad contact me regularly and inquire about my breed ... People from Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Qatar and Iran also contact me. For this breed, the world knows me.”

Dr. Muhammad Mubarak Jatoi, a director of livestock research in Sindh, said Gulabi was a breed indigenous to Sindh and needed to be developed further.

“In the past people were not aware of this breed. Then at the Livestock Department’s Expo 2021 held in Hyderabad, Gulabi was exhibited as a local breed, and it created awareness,” he said.

“The Sindh government is also currently working to expand this breed through artificial insemination at Rohri. Since in the future people would be dependent on livestock farming, therefore it is the need of the hour that we should promote it.”

Mazhar Akbar Dars, another goat breeder from Umerkot in Sindh, said that though the Gulabi breed was known for its beauty, he did not believe the high prices were justified.

“There are rich people who keep different expansive breeds for their love,” he told Arab News.

"However, there is a logical question: what makes them so special and takes their price sky high as compared to other breeds? Perhaps no one has the perfect answer.”