How Colorado Became The Unlikely Epicenter Of American Yak Ranching

RIDGWAY, Colorado — Namgyal Sherpa speaks yak.

So erstwhile a calf vanished into nan gangly writer recently, he roamed among nan herd making low, rumbling grunts.

Then a fewer higher-pitched calls.

There was a rustle and a flash of black. A youngster sprang from nan grass, moving toward its mother, draped successful what looked for illustration a roomy shag carpet. She nudged nan anxious calf to her broadside and they trotted briskly away.

Namgyal followed intimately behind.

Ruth Higdon watched from nan pasture.

“Cows moo, yaks grunt,” she explained. “Their Latin sanction is Bos grunniens — grunting ox.”

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1. A shrine successful nan entryway of Ruth Higdon’s location successful Ridgway. 2. Higdon keeps an oculus connected nan herd astatine Smiling Buddha Yaks successful occidental Colorado’s San Juan Mountains.

Higdon has been chasing yaks for years. She’s worked pinch them, lived pinch them and, for nan past decade, has been raising them connected her ranch, Smiling Buddha Yaks.

It’s nan grunting culmination of a emotion matter that began erstwhile Higdon, a retired crab surgeon, encountered a statement of yaks successful Nepal not acold from Mt. Everest.

“They were nan astir majestic animals I’d ever seen,” she said. “They had these large bells astir their necks and were dressed up successful a measurement that made them look very regal and a spot ferocious.”

The matter continued years later arsenic she ran yak expeditions successful Alaska, gleaned contented from weather-beaten yak herders successful Tibet and studied nan finer points of yak husbandry astatine India’s National Research Center connected Yak — location of Norgyal, nan first trial conduit yak baby.

Now she breeds her ain yaks connected 120 acres of pasture, foothills and mesa tops precocious successful bucolic Ridgway, astir 290 miles westbound of Denver. She owns nan ranch and Namgyal manages it.

It’s a small sliver of Nepal successful nan San Juan Mountains. Jagged grey mountains framework nan sky. Prayer flags threat successful nan wind. A gong and hammer usability arsenic a doorbell. Yak skulls, tails and hairsbreadth bent successful a barn overseen by a furtive grey cat.

Namgyal Sherpa, who manages Smiling Buddha Yaks, checks connected a newborn yak calf.

And past location are nan Sherpas — Namgyal and his wife, Pasang, a erstwhile Buddhist nun, who hail from nan Khumbu region of Nepal and unrecorded connected nan spot pinch Higdon. Sherpas are an taste group who unrecorded chiefly successful eastbound Nepal and astir each stock nan past sanction “Sherpa.” Many spell by conscionable their first name.

After his parents died successful 1981, Namgyal, 56, and his 2 sisters were taken successful by Higdon’s then-partner, a expert who ran a session successful Nepal. The 3 siblings yet settled successful America. Namgyal worked successful Alaska, New York City and yet Colorado, nan spot astir resembling Nepal and nan epicenter of yak ranching successful nan United States.

“There are nary yaks successful Queens,” he said.

As ranch manager, he cares for nan yaks and maintains nan sprawling property. He often sits pinch nan herd, feeds them cookies and different treats and listens to their calls, adding to a connection he’s been learning since childhood.

Higdon said he speaks “fluent yak,” while her ain remains a activity successful progress.

Grunting whitethorn beryllium nan lingua franca of Bos grunniens, but they besides harrumph, bellow and squeak, and calves occasionally meep. Sometimes they operation it up pinch a grunt-oink combo aliases “groink.” The sounds tin bespeak irritation, excitement, siren aliases affection.

“My mother talked to nan yaks erstwhile they were young,” Namgyal said. “We had 5 aliases six.”

Over nan past decade, Namgyal and Higdon person created a mini Himalayan outpost here, 1 based connected difficult work, communal respect and supra all, a devotion to yaks.

“When I first went to Nepal I fell successful emotion pinch Sherpa civilization and nan yaks,” Higdon said. “The Sherpas are patient, benignant and they return life successful nan moment.”

And nan yaks?

“They person these agelong skirts. And erstwhile they tally they instrumentality their tail successful nan aerial and erstwhile they jump — oh, my gosh — they tin easy jump a four-foot fence,” she said. “They are truthful entertaining.”

Yaks graze astatine Smiling Buddha Yaks, which encompasses 120 acres of pasture, foothills and mesa tops.

When she moved to agrarian Alaska to activity successful a clinic, Higdon bought a fewer yaks successful nan municipality of North Pole and started a trekking business. She led customers into distant wilderness while yaks hauled nan baggage.

“It was a beautiful trip. The full Alaska range, Denali. You would spot each animal you could deliberation of,” she said.

She later moved to Colorado, wherever she bought much yaks and now has astir 30, including a caller calf calved past week, nan first from a female named Inge.

Colorado is location to an estimated half of nan yaks successful nan U.S.

“I would opportunity location are astatine slightest 5,000 yaks, if not more, successful Colorado,” said Daniele Garner, 37, proprietor of Pettee Ranch successful Fairplay, 1 of nan oldest and largest yak operations successful nan state pinch astir 250 head.

Higdon and Namgyal put a yak successful a chute to brushwood her and cheque if she is pregnant.

Her ranch, astir 130 miles northeast of Higdon’s spread, sits astatine 10,000 feet supra oversea level, perfect for yaks who thrive successful nan state’s cool, alpine climate.

Unlike cows, Garner said, yaks person not had each their wildness bred retired of them. They are smart, funny and ever connected nan move. And portion of nan family. Her 3-year-old daughter, Oaklee, rode their yak Tashi past period successful Fairplay’s Burro Days festival.

“Yak ranching is growing, but it’s still a niche market,” she said. “It’s by nary intends a get-rich-quick scheme.”

Garner raises them chiefly for nutrient and fiber, which is woven into each mode of snuggly garments — cardigans, parkas, scarves and more. Their beverage has a precocious butterfat contented that makes a much-coveted cheese.

Yak boosters opportunity nan animals time off a lighter hoof-print connected nan onshore because they eat one-third to one-half of what cows eat and nutrient little methane gas. Their manure creates little harmful cultivation runoff.

The World Heritage Yak Conservancy’s website touts nan singular charm of nan animal.

“If you’ve ne'er met a smart, friendly, absorbing yak — you must. Joyful, Cheerful, Intelligent and Sociable. You will autumn successful love,” it promises.

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1. The herd astatine Smiling Buddha Yaks thrives successful Colorado’s alpine climate. 2. Oaklee Garner, 3, and her grandma Julie Pettee look astatine nan yak bulls astatine nan Pettee Ranch successful Fairplay, Colo. 3. Daniele Garner brushes a yak astatine nan Pettee Ranch. 4. Yak bulls astatine nan Pettee Ranch, 1 of nan largest yak operations successful nan state pinch astir 250 head.

They’re besides immense — females tin transcend 800 pounds and males 1,500 aliases much — pinch pointy horns and protective instincts, particularly astir nan young.

Higdon erstwhile had to propulsion a calf from nan commencement canal of its mother during a analyzable delivery. The adjacent day, she opened nan gross truthful nan 2 could rejoin nan herd.

Maya, nan mother, glared astatine her.

“I could spot successful her eyes that she was going to wounded me,” Higdon recalled. “She threw maine successful nan air, possibly 10 feet, and past conscionable stomped maine and stomped me. Finally, she ran disconnected but past came backmost to stomp maine again.”

Higdon rolled nether a barbed ligament obstruction to escape. She suffered 5 surgery ribs and a collapsed lung.

“It was my fault, really,” she said. “I deliberation she remembered I pulled her calf. I’m conscionable fortunate she didn’t get my head.”

Namgyal and his woman were raised pinch yaks.

Namgyal feeds yaks connected Smiling Buddha Yaks ranch. He sometimes gives them cookies.

Yaks lived connected nan crushed level of their homes, their assemblage power warming nan rooms above. Yak dung fed nan fires. Yak beverage fed nan family.

They often served arsenic gigantic shopping carts.

“On marketplace day, we would get up astatine 3 a.m. and locomotion nan yak to Namche Bazaar to get groceries,” Pasang said. “It would return nan full day.”

Back successful nan pasture, Namgyal moved nan herd down nan obstruction line. He ne'er shouted aliases raised a hand.

The calf, a small bull, vanished into nan writer again.

Namgyal grunted.

The writer rustled.

There was a flash of black.

Colorado’s San Juan Mountains emergence successful nan region down nan Tibetan dream flags that bent successful Smiling Buddha Yaks ranch.

Kelly is simply a typical correspondent.