Letter From the Board
Lawrense Ritcherd’s Heritage yak living at Living Diamonds Ranch in Polson, Montana.
Sunny Hill Ranch in Alaska
Mark Priest’s yak at A Yak or 2 Ranch in Michigan
Nicole Porter meeting highland nomadic yak in Tibet.
Lawerence Richard’s and Living Diamonds Tibetan Yak Ranch’s Ribbons at the Northwestern Stock Show (NWSS).
January 1, 2021
Dear Yakkers and Yak Lovers,
We’d like to say “Welcome!” from the World Heritage Yak Conservancy (WHYC).
Why Conservancy? It is emergent that we preserve this “critically endangered“ North American Yak. We hope you will join us in our effort to preserve this Heritage Yak Breed - Tibetan Yak of North America and world wide.
Experience. Our team is made up of past presidents, board members and committee members who have been serving the yak community for years. Our members have been a part of every major yak conservation victory in the last 30 years. We include the largest premier yak pedigreed breeding ranches, quality intentionally bred animals, and have the support of the most serious yak breeders in North America. We also have the support some ofthe most prestigious conservationists and prominent livestock researchers in the world.
Return to Quality. Our goal is to uphold good yak breeding pracices. For our members this includes: long term pedigree, intentional breeding, and accurate genetic testing. Return to Quality also includes: supporting “Best-Practices” for breeding, prohibition of cattle hybridization, recommendations for culling diseased animals, and encouraging rigorous outbreeding. This association is: The World Heritage Yak Conservancy (WHYC) (www.heritageyak.com) and the North American Heritage Yak Registry (NAHYR).
Why WHYC? There are other associations of yak breeders in the United States, North America, or abroad. However, these groups don’t prioritize the conservation of biological diversity of this rare breed.
“These groups don’t prioritize conservation of biological diversity of this rare genome.”
This shift away from preservation and conservation of the breed, in fact poses a threat to the genetic integrity of the North American, Critically Endangered yak breed. Currently, adopted practices support unregulated hybridization with cattle; inbreeding via open multi-sire and mixed-herd breeding practices; and allows animals with “any percentage yak” to be registered. The recently adopted practice of allowing unpedigreed, hybridized stock to be considered foundation herd animals will further threaten preservation.
“If yak were better understood in North America, their biological diversity would be protected and this rare genome preerved.”
The concern is that after years of hard work invested with a shared vision of creating a professional and respected breeding association, based on careful and responsible breeding practices with a primary goal of preservation, this has now been abandoned, and will advance the degradation of the North American Critically Endangered Heritage Yak breed. Hence, the urgent need to establish the World Heritage Yak Conservancy to preserve, promote and protect the North American Yak Herd through the formation of the Heritage breed and this conversation organization.
Our partnership with the Livestock Conservancy brings years of experience to bear on the greatest challenges of our time - preserving genetic diversity and saving endangered heritage breeds - with a proven record of previous successes.
There is an urgent need for a group to fill the gap, collect serious breeders, protect our heritage yak pedigree and preserve the integrity of the yak genome. We have created an umbrella organization to “Preserve, Promote, and Protect” the Heritage Yak in the North American yak herd. We will accomplish this by upholding rigorous registration criterion based on our The Livestock Conservancy approved criterion., high-quality genetic testing, and by supporting ongoing breed selection practices for genetic integrity, as well as longevity, fertility, and productivity.
In this new era, we need you. North American Yak need you. Join us to help protect the Critically Endangered Heritage Yak breed and Love Yak with us!
Warmly,
Board Members:
Nicole Geijer Porter
Larry Richards
John Francis
Marc Priest
Jana Francis
Committee Members:
Jandy Sprouse
Steve Hill
Bethany Priest
Yangbum Gyal
Anita Hill
Brent Huffman
Imran Sheik Nepali
Harry Lambides
Barbara Duke