09/08/2025
These horses are suffering, but people are too dazzled to see that,” sighs Dr Arun Anand, head of surgery at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU). “What we’re witnessing is beauty turned against itself...
The Nukra, Punjab’s famed spotless white horse, is more than an animal. With its milky white coat, it is poetry in motion; it has been stitched into ballads, weddings, and battle cries — a symbol of pride, power, and divine grace. But behind the shimmering coat of the beloved Nukra is a heart-breaking tale of misplaced vanity.
The Nukra, a white variant of the Marwari horse, is prized in Punjab for its beauty, symbolizing prestige. However, breeding for a spotless coat has led to severe inbreeding, causing health issues like skin cancer and weakened immunity. Veterinarians are raising concerns about the Nukra's suffering, urging a shift from valuing appearance to prioritizing the animal's well-being.
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READ THIS ONE CAREFULLY
Nukras are not a separate breed — they’re albino variants of the native Marwari horse.
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Their rise to fame is recent: around 50 years ago, a rare unpigmented foal was born. Since then, breeders — responding to rising demand — began selecting for spotless white coats, ignoring everything else. That single-minded focus has led to severe inbreeding, weakening immune systems, and increasing susceptibility to life-threatening conditions. At GADVASU, up to 30% of all sick horses brought in are Nukras.
Anand ticks the issues off: “Skin cancer. Eye tumours. Ge***al cancers. Sarcoids in foals younger than four. It’s heart-breaking.” The root cause? A lack of melanin, the natural pigment that shields skin from sun damage. Without it, these horses are defenceless in the very sun they were bred to shine under.
Veterinarians across Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan have rung alarm bells. But the market remains strong — some Nukras sell for several lakhs of rupees, despite their declining health. “It’s not too late,” says Anand. “But we need to love horses for more than their colour. We need to protect the animal, not the idea.” Until then, the Nukra rides on — fragile and admired — in a world that sees only the shine, not the scars...
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Humble Request...
Its not a Particular Breed of Punjab or a state..
Its a colour variant .. not suitabe for heat and sun...
