Yaks are synonymous with life at high altitudes. They are strong creatures capable of
carrying heavy loads, but more than this, they are the ultimate all purpose beasts of
burden. In Nepal, you are likely to encounter them on the Everest Base Camp Trek where
they are used as pack animals on the trail. They are easy to spot: they can be two
metres tall at the shoulder and up to a metric tonne in weight, looking like the cow
equivalent of a hairy mammoth, or perhaps a buffalo with a Beatles mop top haircut.http://www.iks-sh.com/
The herds of yaks you will see in Nepal are domesticated and have bells around their necks.
As they are herded down the Everest Base Camp Trek trail, they fill the mountainside
with a distinct enchanting sound. What is less enchanting is when a herd of sturdy yaks
blocks your passage on an Everest trek; you will probably have to step aside, deferring
to their massive horns.
A Yak by Any Other Name
In English, the word yak (which is worth
eight points in Scrabble) is used to refer to the whole of the species; however, to a
native of the Everest region of Nepal the term yak only means the male animal, with
the word dri or nak referring to a female.
Although you may see the domesticated
variety, Bos grunniens, while Everest trekking, the wild Yak, Bos mutus, is considered
extinct in Nepal and Bhutan. Yaks are quite closely related to the African buffalo, the
American bison, and the European bison, except they are adapted to living between 4,000
and 6,000 metres above sea level. They can still be found at these altitudes in Tibet,
and there are some isolated populations in China, too.
The type of yak you are most
likely to see at the start of an Everest Base Camp Trek is a hybrid: half yak, half cow.
Locally, these are called Dzo (male) and Dzomo (female). They are smaller than yaks, and
their shorter hair means they are better at handling warmer climates at lower altitudes.
As you ascend on your Everest trek, you will notice that Yaks replace their hybrid
cousins as they are extremely well adapted to higher altitudes. As well as having a
higher concentration of red blood cells, they even have an extra pair of ribs to
accommodate their larger sized lungs.
Food & Fuel
Of course, apart from a form of
transport, another use for the yak is for food. Yak meat is high in protein, containing
only one sixth of the fat of beef, and makes a fine Everest trekking meal when served
with noodles. Nothing of the yak is wasted in Nepal; the horns are used as cutting
implements, and even the head of the yak is sometimes served for dinner, especially as
part of New Year celebrations.
The yaks themselves eat grass, and often have to burrow
through several feet of snow to reach their food. They have learned to eat snow when
they are thirsty and unfrozen water cannot be found.
Yak milk (or rather, dri milk) is
full of goodness, with twice the fat of cow s milk. It is yellowy in colour and is
mostly used for butter and yogurt. These make good energy foods to keep you fuelled up
for your Everest Base Camp Trek. It is so fat rich that it can also be burned as lamp
oil.
Youll eat the majority of your meals along the Everest Base Camp Trek at Nepalese
tea houses. These provide convenient rest stops where trekkers can put their feet up,
eat, sleep and acclimatize to the mountain environment.
Some of the tea houses will cook
meals over a traditional yak dung stove. Although you may shudder to think of your food
being so close to manure, this is in fact a brilliant, environmentally friendly way of
cooking. Trees are sparse in Nepal and considered too important to burn, and so the dung
of yak is dried and used as a convenient source of renewable fuel.
Hairy Bovines
The other
way yaks can provide warmth is with their fur. Yak fur can grow to as much as two feet
long, and might be used for clothing along with yak wool, and can also be made into
ropes and sacking. It is even used to make hairy tents. The yak fur allows smoke from
inside the tent to escape, while the oil in the fur keeps water from penetrating inside.
When you add up all the benefits that this local beast can offer, from transport,
baggage, shelter, clothing, tools, food, drink, and fuel for heating and lighting, I am
sure that you will agree that on your Everest base camp trek, the yak is more useful
than a Swiss Army Knife by far!http://www.iks-sh.com/product/paper-converting-knives/
carrying heavy loads, but more than this, they are the ultimate all purpose beasts of
burden. In Nepal, you are likely to encounter them on the Everest Base Camp Trek where
they are used as pack animals on the trail. They are easy to spot: they can be two
metres tall at the shoulder and up to a metric tonne in weight, looking like the cow
equivalent of a hairy mammoth, or perhaps a buffalo with a Beatles mop top haircut.http://www.iks-sh.com/
The herds of yaks you will see in Nepal are domesticated and have bells around their necks.
As they are herded down the Everest Base Camp Trek trail, they fill the mountainside
with a distinct enchanting sound. What is less enchanting is when a herd of sturdy yaks
blocks your passage on an Everest trek; you will probably have to step aside, deferring
to their massive horns.
A Yak by Any Other Name
In English, the word yak (which is worth
eight points in Scrabble) is used to refer to the whole of the species; however, to a
native of the Everest region of Nepal the term yak only means the male animal, with
the word dri or nak referring to a female.
Although you may see the domesticated
variety, Bos grunniens, while Everest trekking, the wild Yak, Bos mutus, is considered
extinct in Nepal and Bhutan. Yaks are quite closely related to the African buffalo, the
American bison, and the European bison, except they are adapted to living between 4,000
and 6,000 metres above sea level. They can still be found at these altitudes in Tibet,
and there are some isolated populations in China, too.
The type of yak you are most
likely to see at the start of an Everest Base Camp Trek is a hybrid: half yak, half cow.
Locally, these are called Dzo (male) and Dzomo (female). They are smaller than yaks, and
their shorter hair means they are better at handling warmer climates at lower altitudes.
As you ascend on your Everest trek, you will notice that Yaks replace their hybrid
cousins as they are extremely well adapted to higher altitudes. As well as having a
higher concentration of red blood cells, they even have an extra pair of ribs to
accommodate their larger sized lungs.
Food & Fuel
Of course, apart from a form of
transport, another use for the yak is for food. Yak meat is high in protein, containing
only one sixth of the fat of beef, and makes a fine Everest trekking meal when served
with noodles. Nothing of the yak is wasted in Nepal; the horns are used as cutting
implements, and even the head of the yak is sometimes served for dinner, especially as
part of New Year celebrations.
The yaks themselves eat grass, and often have to burrow
through several feet of snow to reach their food. They have learned to eat snow when
they are thirsty and unfrozen water cannot be found.
Yak milk (or rather, dri milk) is
full of goodness, with twice the fat of cow s milk. It is yellowy in colour and is
mostly used for butter and yogurt. These make good energy foods to keep you fuelled up
for your Everest Base Camp Trek. It is so fat rich that it can also be burned as lamp
oil.
Youll eat the majority of your meals along the Everest Base Camp Trek at Nepalese
tea houses. These provide convenient rest stops where trekkers can put their feet up,
eat, sleep and acclimatize to the mountain environment.
Some of the tea houses will cook
meals over a traditional yak dung stove. Although you may shudder to think of your food
being so close to manure, this is in fact a brilliant, environmentally friendly way of
cooking. Trees are sparse in Nepal and considered too important to burn, and so the dung
of yak is dried and used as a convenient source of renewable fuel.
Hairy Bovines
The other
way yaks can provide warmth is with their fur. Yak fur can grow to as much as two feet
long, and might be used for clothing along with yak wool, and can also be made into
ropes and sacking. It is even used to make hairy tents. The yak fur allows smoke from
inside the tent to escape, while the oil in the fur keeps water from penetrating inside.
When you add up all the benefits that this local beast can offer, from transport,
baggage, shelter, clothing, tools, food, drink, and fuel for heating and lighting, I am
sure that you will agree that on your Everest base camp trek, the yak is more useful
than a Swiss Army Knife by far!http://www.iks-sh.com/product/paper-converting-knives/
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