Gaddi shepherds begin migrating to lower hills with onset of winter

With the onset of the winter in the Kangra valley, shepherds along with their animal flocks have started migrating to warmers places in the lower hills of the state. These shepherds belong to the Gaddi community and have been migrating twice a year for generations. Every year, they lose hundreds of sheep and goats to heavy snowfall and heavy rain in higher hills. During the winter last year, hundreds of sheep were killed near Baijnath in a lightning strike at a camp of the Gaddis.

During the summer, the Gaddi shepherds move to high-altitude areas of the Dhauladhars, Chhota Bhangal, Bara Bhanghal, Lauhal and Spiti, Kinnaur and parts of Chamba district. During the winter, they roam from one place to another in Una, Bilaspur, Kangra, Hamirpur and Sirmaur districts in search of better pastures for their animals.

The change in the snowline in the past few years and global warming have impacted their traditional routes of seasonal migration, making their lives risky and difficult. Global warming in Himachal Pradesh has led to erratic rainfall and the snowline has also shifted because of extreme weather events. Some regions have seen an increase in the intensity of rainfall, coupled with unseasonal hailstorms.

A number of shepherds told The Tribune that due to global warming and unusual rainfall and snow in the high altitude areas of the state, a number of Gaddis had stopped rearing sheep. Besides, grasslands had also shrunk in the past few years because of stringent environmental laws. They added that the new generation was also not willing to take up sheep rearing, leading to an acute shortage of manpower for grazing animals.

The other threat is the foot and mouth disease, which is now quite common among the animals, leading to a major threat to the existence of centuries-old traditional livelihood of shepherds.