Hello friends, Ed here from Mooduscycle. To take my mind off cold hard motorcycle parts and ebaY which I deal with on a regular basis I  raise Yaks. Everyone asks the same questions: "What  are those things?" and "What do you DO with them?" Here are some YAK FACTS:

Yaks are a member of the bovine family - woolly cows or "grunting ox". They have a shoulder hump like a buffalo, shaggy horse like tails and long woolly coats. Bos grunniens. the full blood domestic Yak, is a cross between the wild Yak and domestic Himalayan cattle. They were domesticated in Tibet thousands of years ago and  thrive in the Himalayan mountains at 15,000-20,000 feet above sea level. Yaks are very sure footed and walk on icy slopes with ease. They have excellent hearing and eyesight and are quite intelligent creatures.

"Black" yaks are black (or brown) with a gray nose, "Royals" are white with black spots, "Trim" Yaks are black with a white spot on their head. feet, and sometimes tip of tail. "Imperial" yaks are black with a black nose.

Yak females grow to about 600 pounds, the males are larger - over 2000 pounds in some cases. They are docile creatures and while generally mellow sometimes they will put their tails up and gallop like a horse. Yaks communicate with each other by grunting. They grunt when they are hungry, bored, irritated, or trying to locate their herd mates.

Yaks have horns. Tibetans use the horns to hang things on. Yaks use their horns to dig through the ice to find vegetation to eat in unforgiving climates. They also use their horns to push other Yaks away from their food bowl, to scratch themselves, and to frighten city people.

Yaks eat about 1/3 of what a regular cow eats so they are ideal for small homesteads with only a few acres of pasture. Yaks can be raised where it would be difficult to raise traditional livestock. While Yaks do not mind cold weather they cannot tolerate hot and humid weather. Most large Yak herds are out west in Idaho, Colorado, and Utah. They can be raised in the mountains of Virginia, New York, and Vermont. There aren't many Yak breeders in North America and some people estimate there are less than 5000 Yaks in the US.

What are they good for?
Yaks have soft wool on on their bellies which can be spun into a very  fine wool. It is very soft, warm ,and luxurious. They also have long coarse outer skirts or guard hairs which can be made into rope.

Yaks also produce milk with a 5-7% fat content. Due to the high fat content Yak milk is usually made into cheese, butter, and yogurt. Tibetans make yak-butter tea which is a common drink for them.

Yak blood is said to have spiritual healing properties. The people of west Nepal believe that Yak blood cures gastric diseases so they have a yearly festival where they cut the Yak's neck and drink the blood, and sell it to neighboring villagers. The Yaks aren't killed, the villagers cherish their Yaks. .

Yak poo is an excellent fertilizer and is also use for fuel by the natives. Some tribes use the frozen dung to build walls and huts.

Yak meat is very lean and high in protein, low in saturated fats, low in calories, cholesterol, and triglycerides. Yak meat  is comparable to high quality fish. It looks like deep red beef and has a unique taste. Yak meat is good to eat.

What do I do with my Yaks? I feed them and give them water twice a day. I take them for a walk if they are in a good mood. Sometimes I give them a baby bottle full of milk and read them a story book and comb their hair. Aside from all the practical reasons for raising these woolly beasts Yaks make excellent (outdoor) pets.

I hope you found this interesting and helpful (for cocktail party trivia maybe?)

-Ed