Garole

The Garole breed is native to the hot, humid and swampy Ganges delta of West Bengal. It is a small-sized animal, reared for meat, and plays a vital role in the economic subsistence of marginal farmers and landless households in the Sunderbans region of the South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal.

It has a compact and square body with a small head, medium ears and a short thin tail. Grey and white are the predominant colours.  Males are usually horned and females are polled. The fleece is open and very coarse and, though not dense, covers almost the whole body and a major part of the legs. The animals are usually not shorn, though some farmers shear the animal and use the wool for bedding material.

Garole ewes breed around the year with two lambing peaks between December to February and August to September.  Multiple births are common. According to the 18th Livestock Census the total number of Garole sheep in the country is 408,727. (Refer to the maps below) 

Text Source: NBAGR

Photo Source: http://www.outlookindia.com/printarticle.aspx?240290 and http://www.issgpu.org/sheeps-images.htm