| Yaks are animals from the bovine family which is | | | | diameter of 15-17 microns and is 4-5 cms in length. |
| noted for living on high altitude cold regions of the | | | | Adult down is 18-20 microns in diameter and 3-3.5 cms |
| world. They bear some resemblance to the wild | | | | in length. |
| buffaloes with a heavy body and a long hairy tail like | | | | The yak fibre is used locally for weaving hut coverings, |
| the horse. Yaks are widely used in the mountainous | | | | blankets, mats and sacks. Strong ropes and cordage |
| regions of the Tibet Plateau as beasts of burden and | | | | are made from the tail hair and felted fabric from the |
| for subsistence through its milk and meat production. It | | | | down hair. Once de-haired, the fine inner down hair can |
| is thought that there are approximately 13 million yaks | | | | be made into yarn that is comparable to cashmere. |
| on the plateaus that flank the Himalayas. | | | | Yak yarns are coarse and ideally suited for making |
| Each yak produces only about 100 gms of hair a year. | | | | warmer fabrics. Yaks are becoming extinct due to |
| The hair is either pulled or combed in the spring when | | | | continuous human poaching through the icy |
| the animal moults. The outer hair is separated from the | | | | mountainous ranges. More efforts should be put in to |
| inner down hair. The color of yak hair can vary from | | | | mass bred yaks so that we can still enjoy the warmth |
| black (wild yaks) to piebald and some very rare white. | | | | of fabrics made from their skin. |
| The inner down hair of the one year old calf has a | | | | |