Yak

Yak husbandry is closely tied to high-altitude pastoral livelihoods, with herds providing multiple products simultaneously and management practices adapted to seasonal forage availability and extreme mountain climates.

Dairy yaks

Milked for dairy products including butter and cheese central to many high-altitude diets.

Pack and draught yaks

Used for carrying loads and, in some areas, light cultivation across mountain terrain.

Yak–cattle hybrids

Crosses with lowland cattle (sometimes called dzo or dzomo), used in some regions to combine traits of both species.

Yaks graze native alpine pasture through most of the year, with forage availability declining sharply in winter; some managed systems provide conserved forage or supplementary feed during the coldest, most forage-scarce months.

Yaks are well adapted to cold and altitude but can suffer heat stress at lower elevations or during warmer periods; husbandry also addresses parasite and disease risks associated with seasonal grazing movements.

Yaks underpin livelihoods across high-altitude pastoral regions where few other livestock species can thrive, and their climate sensitivity, particularly to warming temperatures at range margins, is a subject of ongoing research interest.