Did You Know Brazil's Dairy Revolution Was Powered By A Bull From Gujarat?

Brazil is currently the fifth largest milk producer in the world. It wasn’t always the case, though. In the 1960s, India played a crucial role in developing the country’s dairy sector, which has now grown to be worth billions of dollars. The credit for this turnaround goes to the Maharaja of Bhavnagar, Gujarat, who gifted the Krishna bull to Brazil. With his reddish-white coat and characteristic down horns, the bull—named after one of the most worshipped Hindu deities, Krishna—stood out from others.

According to the BBC, Brazilian cattle baron Celso Garcia Cid sent a cowboy Ildefonso dos Santos to India in 1958 in search of a bull that would improve Brazilian livestock.

Krishna turned out to be a genetic revolution in the Brazilian cattle market, elevating the value of the Gir breed—which is currently regarded as one of the most sought-after breeds on the bovine embryos market. His lineage accounts for 80% of the milk produced in Brazil.

The grandson of Cid Sachetim, Guilherme Sachetim, claims that Krishna represents an important moment in the history of cattle husbandry in Brazil. Sachetim stated that he restored the bloodline of the country’s dairy cattle during a period when output was being hindered by inbreeding.

Krishna’s high-performance DNA was able to proliferate throughout Brazil in all directions due to the development of genetic enhancement procedures. “Millions of people have enjoyed this import,” he told the news outlet.

The Indian government was so impressed with the breed’s accomplishment that it is currently attempting to bring it back to India, where it nearly vanished due to poor crossbreeding and never attained the productivity found on Brazilian farms.

The reason for Krishna’s death still remains unclear. Employees stated that Krishna had engaged in combat with a younger bull just hours before he passed away.

Krishna has left a legacy of his own. Following his death, a carcass of the legendary bull was placed at Cid’s farmhouse in a glass tomb, where it still sits with a sign in between his paws that read, “Want to meet Gir? Watch me!”