A healthy female Badri calf was successfully born on September 11, 2026, through Ovum Pick-Up and In Vitro Fertilization (OPU-IVF) technology at the Academic Dairy Farm, representing a significant milestone for conservation and genetic improvement of Uttarakhand's indigenous Badri cattle breed. The calf resulted from transferring a Badri embryo into a Sahiwal recipient cow, achieved through collaborative efforts between ICAR–National Dairy Research Institute (ICAR-NDRI), Karnal, and G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, with financial support from the Uttarakhand Biotechnology Council, Haldi.
The research program was initiated in 2023 under the leadership of Dr. M. S. Chauhan, then Vice-Chancellor of G. B. Pant University. The scientific process involved collecting oocytes from genetically valuable Badri donor cows through ultrasound-guided ovum pick-up, maturing and fertilizing them in vitro using semen from a genetically superior Badri bull obtained through the Uttarakhand Livestock Development Board, and culturing the resulting embryos under controlled laboratory conditions before transfer into synchronized recipient cows.
Dr. Dheer Singh, Director of ICAR-NDRI, emphasized that advanced reproductive technologies like OPU-IVF can multiply elite female germplasm at a faster rate and support structured breed-improvement programs. Another synchronised crossbred recipient cow is expected to deliver a Badri calf within the next 5–7 days. The program is also exploring cloning of elite Badri cows, with cloned embryos successfully generated through multiple research stages. Future plans include transferring OPU-IVF- and cloning-derived embryos into suitable Sahiwal, crossbred, and Badri recipient cows to accelerate multiplication of superior germplasm.
This achievement demonstrates the potential of integrating indigenous genetic resources with advanced reproductive biotechnology for sustainable livestock development in the Himalayan region, providing a foundation for expanding collaborative efforts toward conservation and genetic improvement of Badri cattle in Uttarakhand.