ASTANA – Kazakhstan will allocate 1.4 billion tenge (US$3 million) for preservation and reproduction of tazy and tobet hunting dog breeds, said Mazhilis (lower house of the Kazakh Parliament) deputy Amerkhan Rakhimzhanov during a Nov. 30 plenary session.
Tobet and tazy hunting breeds. Photo credit: kstnews.kz
Tazy and tobet are considered to be among the oldest breeds of dogs, which have been living near people with nomadic lifestyle for centuries. They protected multi-thousand livestock, hunted foxes, hares, wolves and was used as a labor force.
According to local cynologists, dogs are country’s national breeds, which are highly appreciated by Kazakh people for their unique qualities – endurance, devotion and agility.
Rakhimzhanov stressed the threat of animals’ extinction in many regions of the country.
“The main reasons for current dangerous situation with Kazakh dog breeds are lack of scientific research on dogs’ gene pool estimation, drawing up their genetic profile and state support,” he said.
The Mazhilis deputy announced establishment of several specialized organizations, including the National Center for Kazakh Dog Breeds. It will address creating a single genealogy base and development of standards for dogs.
