Lohani
A small Pakistani zebu kept for ploughing and pack work, red and white
The Lohani is a small zebu breed from Pakistan, named for Loralai District in Balochistan and also kept in Dera Ismail Khan District. Cows stand about 102 cm at the withers, the coat is usually red with white patches, and the animals are worked as draught and pack cattle, with some milk as well.
- Named for Loralai District in Balochistan, Pakistan
- Cows stand about 102 cm at the withers, bulls about 112 cm
- Coat is usually red with white patches or spots
- A 2006 census counted 560,432 head
- FAO listed the breed as not at risk in 2007
What do Lohani cattle look like?
The Lohani is a zebu breed, one of the humped cattle of South Asia, and it belongs to Pakistan. It is compact: bulls measure about 112 cm at the withers, the bony ridge between the shoulders, and cows about 102 cm. Bulls weigh roughly 313 kg, cows around 253 kg. The head is small and neat beside the rest of the body, and the horns are short and slender. Colour differs from animal to animal, though red with white patches or spots is the pattern seen most. It is classed as a triple-purpose breed.
Where does the Lohani come from?
The Lohani carries the name of Loralai District in Balochistan, where the breed began. A second home is Dera Ismail Khan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the area that made up the old North-West Frontier Province, first under British India and afterwards in Pakistan. The Acchai was once counted within the Lohani, but it is now recognised as a breed in its own right. A census in 2006 found 560,432 head.
What the Lohani is known for
The Lohani is a small or miniature breed, and that compact build is what marks it out. It is a working animal by reputation, used for pulling a plough and for carrying loads. Its horns are short and thin. Cows have given milk, with yields recorded in the 1950s of more than 900 kg in a single lactation, so the breed is not only a beast of burden.
How the Lohani is bred and kept
The Lohani is tied to two districts: Loralai in Balochistan and Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Herds are kept there, and the breed takes its name from the first of the two. The Acchai was once treated as part of the Lohani but is now recognised on its own. Colour is not fixed; red with white patches or spots appears most, but animals differ from one another.
Lohani, drawn
What the Lohani is kept for
The Lohani is kept mostly as a draught animal, that is, for work. It pulls the plough and does similar field jobs, and it also carries packs. The breed is listed as triple-purpose, which brings in milk and beef as well as labour. Milking counts for something: records from the 1950s show cows yielding more than 900 kg in one lactation (a single milking period). Beef is the third use named.
The land and climate of the Lohani
The Lohani lives in two parts of Pakistan. The first is Loralai District in Balochistan, the district that gives the breed its name. The second is Dera Ismail Khan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the north-western region once known as the North-West Frontier Province, first under British India and later under Pakistan.
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
A census in 2006 counted 560,432 Lohani cattle. The FAO classed the breed as not at risk in 2007, while DAD-IS listed its status as unknown in 2024. The Acchai, once treated as part of this stock, now stands as a separate breed. The Lohani's home districts are Loralai in Balochistan and Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Questions people ask about Lohani
Where does the Lohani come from?
It belongs to Pakistan. The breed takes its name from Loralai District in Balochistan, and Dera Ismail Khan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is its other home. The Acchai was once grouped with the Lohani, but it is now a separate breed.
What is the Lohani kept for?
Chiefly work. It is a draught breed used for ploughing and similar tasks, and it also carries packs. It is listed as triple-purpose, so milk and beef count too, and 1950s records show more than 900 kg of milk in a lactation.
How big does it grow?
It is small. Bulls measure about 112 cm at the withers and weigh some 313 kg, while cows stand around 102 cm and weigh about 253 kg. The horns are short and thin.
What colour is a Lohani?
The coat varies from one animal to another. Red with white patches or spots is the pattern most often seen, but the breed is not uniform in colour.
Is the Lohani rare?
The FAO classed it as not at risk in 2007, and DAD-IS gave its status as unknown in 2024. A census in 2006 recorded 560,432 head.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Lohani cattle", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryCow rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Sizes, colours and customs differ from one herd, valley or breeder to the next. Folk beliefs are described as tradition, never as advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-16.
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