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World Heritage Yak Conservancy, The World Heritage Yak Conservancy (WHYC) is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving and promoting the rare breeds of “Heritage Yak”, also known as a "heritage breed" of Tibetan Yak in North America. Founded in 2020, through the efforts of yak enthusiasts, conservationists and yak breeders concerned about the disappearance of many of the US's heritage livestock breeds, WHYC is the pioneer yak preservation organization in the United States. It has initiated programs that intend to save the breed from extinction.

Heritage Yak are numerically endangered in the critical category, and stand on the brink of extinction. WHYC also maintains the North American Heritage Yak Registry (NAHYR) to preserve this breed. In large part due to the efforts of the organization, the Heritage Yak breed can now be identified and cataloged to maintain a healthy population. WHYC also sustains program initiatives that deal with preserving and promoting this critically endangered breed. The organization works on several aspects of breed preservation, including genetic testing, historical documentation, and marketing. Preservation of genetic material is of special interest to the WHYC, and it maintains a gene bank that will be transferred to the United States Department of Agriculture and regularly uploaded to the National Institute of Health (NIH) GenBank. In 2021, WHYC became Conservation Partners of the American Zoological Association and made their Heritage Yak genetic database open to the public. This means valuable genetic data about this rare breed will be published and available to researchers around the world.

=Heritage Yak History= In 2020, WHYC developed and published the heritage definition of yak, including parameters for pedigree verification and genetic testing according to industry standards developed by the Livestock Conservancy.

The Livestock Conservancy maintains a conservation priority list that defines endangered “heritage” breeds of horses, sheep, goats, cattle, rabbits, poultry - and now yak. World Heritage Yak Conservancy began working with the The Livestock Conservancy in 2019 and 2020 to add yak to the Conservation Priority List (CPL). In 2021, North American Yak Heritage Yak were voted onto the CPL by Livestock Conservancy’s Board of Directors. Requirements for heritage cattle breeds include having a long history in the US, being purebred, and being a true genetic breed. Specifications for heritage milk and beef, as well as products made from them, were also released with the definition.

WHYC maintains these strict registration standards, as defined and voted on by the Livestock Conservancy, to keep Heritage Yak acknowledged on the Conservation Priority List (CPL). These include a known pedigree traceable back to Foundation stock and maintenance of the historic genetic pedigree. To this end WHYC is also tracking “Historic Heritage Yak" with roots that date back to the turn of the century and their origins in Tibet. This is done by the registry that is maintained by WHYC - the North American Heritage Yak Registry (NAHYR).

WHYC also manages the NAHYR and the Heritage Yak herd book to exclude any hybridization with cattle. Interbreeding with cattle is identified as the one of the greatest threat to global populations accusing to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is a direct threat to biodiversity by risking the survival of indigenous taxa. For this reason, yak with identifiable cattle introgression are excluded from the NAHYR and WHYC registry.

To identify Heritage Yak and Heritage Yak products the WHYC manages the Heritage Yak Certification Seal. This registration seal means that the yak and yak product have been registered and certified as the rare Heritage Yak breed by WHYC. This is a guarantee of Heritage Yak status according to genetically established pedigree, quality breeding practices, and sustainability standards for the breed. Additionally, following specifications for heritage products as defined by the Livestock Conservancy, Heritage Yak products are free from cattle introgression and are unadulterated by the use of hybridized fiber, milk, or meat.

Mission and organization
The World Heritage Yak Conservancy is headquartered in Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin. Its mission is to “Preserve. Promote. and Protect” "genetic diversity through the conservation and promotion of the rare Heritage Yak breed." It organizes and participates in programs to rescue this threatened population, educate the public about the rare yak breed and genetic diversity, support heritage yak breeders and breed associations, perform research on the endangered Heritage Yak and assist gene banks in preserving genetic material.

According to its literature, the World Heritage Yak Conservancy is funded by grants, sales of publications and promotional materials, membership dues and public donations. Products sold include books on conservation, genetic testing supplies, and heritage yak merchandise.