Mitigation Strategies for Cold Stress for Enhancing Livestock Productivity in Temperate Areas of Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

Himachal Pradesh is a North-western hill state of India having four major agro-climatic zones with different climatic conditions.The animals reared in different zones experience cold stress when the temperature is below the thermo neutral zone. Climate change studies highlight the increasing temperature and unpredictable weather conditions around the globe. The cold-stress is likely to become more common in the future, in the present scenario of climate change. Across the globe, incidents of intense cold waves vary from region to region. Over India, the cold wave is observed during winter season spanning from December-February. The aim of this review is to give a general outlook of the different climatic factors, their effect on animals as well as adaptation and mitigation strategies for the domestic animals reared in Himachal Pradesh.