Attitudes towards the Sri Lankan leopard Panthera pardus kotiya in two rural communities

Livestock depredation by wild carnivores threatens carnivore populations and livestock-dependent human communities globally. Understanding local attitudes towards carnivores can inform strategies to improve coexistence. In Sri Lanka, the dairy industry is expanding, creating a need for proactive conflict mitigation. Livestock depredation by the Endangered Sri Lankan leopard Panthera pardus kotiya occurs, but little is known about these incidents or the attitudes of those whose livelihoods may be threatened by this. We surveyed people in two rural communities, Palatupana and Maskeliya, that differed in the scale of livestock ownership, livestock management practices and socio-ecological factors, to characterize attitudes towards leopards and understand their determinants. In Palatupana, an area with extensive cattle rearing, depredation incidents were frequent, and attitudes towards leopards were positively related to respondents' age, number of dependants, years spent rearing livestock and a greater overall support for wildlife conservation. Attitudes were negatively related to respondents' knowledge of leopard ecology and awareness of leopard-related tourism, from which cattle owners do not benefit. In Maskeliya, where cattle rearing is secondary to other agricultural work, depredation did not occur. Here, attitudes were positively related to a desire for increased government assistance with cattle rearing. The inability to develop land for cattle husbandry was a common barrier experienced in both communities. Considering local attitudes can inform strategies to improve human–carnivore coexistence. Approaches that could improve attitudes towards leopards include involvement of cattle owners in tourism programmes, exploring potential alternative land ownership schemes, and improving infrastructure and access to veterinary care.

Implications of Climatic Stressors on Agro-Pastoral Resources Among Mbororo Communities Along the Slopes of Kilum-Ijim Mountain, North West Region, Cameroon

Mountains are rich in pastures and water for agro-pastoral resources and supports rain-fed farming that sustain the livelihoods of many indigenous communities. This work seeks to examine the implications of climatic variability on agro-pastoral resources (pasture land, water) and food security within the Mbororo communities. To ascertain this, 350 household questionnaires were randomly administered in four Mbororo Ardorates and in-depth interviews conducted with local authorities. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of data collected revealed that the link between climate, land and water is paramount in animal rearing and crop farming in mountains. Cattle rearing and crop farming have been the main source of livelihoods for about 90% of the Mbororos as they depend on it for food and income. Climatic perturbations characterized by frequent dry spells, rainfall anomalies and other environmental stressors predicted degrading pastoral resources and the independent variable explained the outcome variable at R = 0.787; R2 = 0. 623; ΔR2 = 0.622; p < 0.01. This implies that 62.3% of degradation is accounted for by environmental stressors. As such, the carrying capacity of grazing have gone above the authorized number of two cattle per hectare, leading to overgrazing and degradation. Encroachments into grazing lands by crop farmers, invasion by unproductive grass species and farmer-grazer conflicts are aggravated by climatic stressors. The Fundong council and traditional authorities of the Kom Fondom have been working together to demarcate grazing land and provide water for cattle rearing. Mbororo communities are equally diversifying their activities to ensure food availability.

Bali Cattle Cultivation and Eco-Tourism in Ayunan Village Abiansemal District, Badung

Ayunan Village, is located in Abiansemal sub-district, Badung regency, Bali. Bali cattle are germplasm that must be preserved, for that we are collaborating with the Bali Karang Ayu and Karya laksana cattle groups in Ayunan village. The maintenance of Bali cattle in partners is very constrained by capital, feed and management of Balinese cattle maintenance is not carried out professionally because it is managed in a family, traditional way and is not a main source of livelihood. Bali cattle maintenance is only a sideline to fill spare time on the sidelines of farming time. The management of cow dung and manure has not been managed properly, which should still be managed into organic fertilizer, sold to farmers so that it can increase the income of farmers, so the solution we offer is to provide assistance and consultation as well as demonstration plots regarding good and correct management of Balinese cattle rearing. to increase Bali cattle production. The results of this community service activity can increase production, productivity as well as produce organic fertilizer from cow dung that can be sold so as to increase the income of Balinese cattle farmers in the two Bali cattle groups that we partner with

Ethnoveterinary study of medicinal plants used for cattle treatment in Bojonegoro District, East Java, Indonesia

Pratama AM, Herawati O, Nabila AN, Belinda TA, Wijayanti AD. 2021. Ethnoveterinary study of medicinal plants used for cattle treatment in Bojonegoro District, East Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 4236-4245. Bojonegoro is a rural district in Indonesia's East Java Province where farming and cattle rearing are the main economic activities. The Bojonegoro District's cattle producers employ some medicinal plants specifically for the treatment of bovine illnesses. However, no data has been reported thus far. The goal of this research was to find and document ethnoveterinary medicinal herbs for cattle cures in the Bojonegoro District. A total of 41 cattle breeders were interviewed for the study. To collect demographic and ethnoveterinary medicinal plant data, each informant was interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire in the native language of each informant. The stastitical analysis in this study include informant consensus (Fic), Fidelity Level (FL), and Plant Part Frequency (PPF). Approximately 78.00% of the respondents are between the ages of 30 and 50, with 36.59% having only graduated from senior high school. The Peranakan Ongole (PO) is the most common breed preserved by cattle breeders. In the study area, 41 ethnoveterinary medicinal plants were mentioned by male respondents to cure cattle health problems. Digestive illnesses are the most frequent ailments in cattle treated with medicinal plants. Curcuma longa L. was the most commonly mentioned medicinal plant. A majority of the source ethnoveterinary medicinal plants were cultivated on-site and the leaves of these plants were most often used.

Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide Activates Toll-Like Receptor 2 and Toll-Like Receptor 4 Gene Expression in PBMC of Vechur Cattle

Vechur cattle, an indigenous breed of Kerala and it is the smallest cattle breed in the world. They are highly disease resistant. The occurrence of mastitis is very Rare in this breed as compared to crossbred cattle. Rearing of these Vechur breed is more cost effective as they require less feed. Therefore, characterisation of factors involved in the immune system of these breeds might provide an insight into the mechanisms involved in the variation in disease resistance. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are part of the innate immunity, can recognize the particular pathogens through Pathogen Associated Molecular pattern s (PAMPs) and play important roles in host defense. TLR2 and TLR4 important TLR mediate the responsiveness to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Since Vechur cattle are less susceptible to mastitis, in vitro expression assay of TLRs were accessed by challenging the Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) with bacterial LPS. Treatment of PBMC with LPS, significantly increased TLR2 and TLR4 genes expression (p≤0.01) in Vechur cattle breed when compared with that of control and crossbred cattle. Among the two TLRs studied, the relative expression of mRNA in Vechur cattle was relatively higher for TLR2 (6.90) than TLR4 (4.24). The higher expression of TLR 2 and TLR 4might contribute maximum innate immune response against the mastitis bacteria in Vechur cattle.

Recent Developments in Vaccines for Bovine Mycoplasmoses Caused by Mycoplasma bovis and Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides

Two of the most important diseases of cattle are caused by mycoplasmas. Mycoplasma bovis is a world-wide bovine pathogen that can cause pneumonia, mastitis and arthritis. It has now spread to most, if not all, cattle-rearing countries. Due to its increasing resistance to antimicrobial therapy, vaccination is the principal focus of the control of infection, but effective vaccines are currently lacking. Despite being eradicated from most parts of the world, Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides, the cause of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), continues to plague sub-Saharan Africa, affecting at least 25 countries. Numerous new experimental vaccines have been developed over the last 20 years to improve on protection afforded by the T1/44, a live vaccine in continuous use in Africa for over 60 years, but none so far have succeeded; indeed, many have exacerbated the disease. Tools for diagnosis and control are adequate for eradication but what is necessary are resources to improve vaccine coverage to levels last seen in the 1970s, when CBPP was restricted to a few countries in Africa. This paper summarizes the results of the main studies in the field of experimental mycoplasma vaccines, reviews data on commercially available bacterin vaccines and addresses issues relating to the search for new candidates for effective vaccines to reduce economic losses in the cattle industry caused by these two mycoplasmas.

Seasonal Preponderance of Gastrointestinal Parasites and their impact on Small Ruminants around Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) India

In India, the Livestock (generally cattle-rearing) is one of the most potential sub-sectors of agriculture which plays a necessary role in endorsing human health and economy and most predominantly in central India, Small ruminants like (sheep and goat) constitute the major portion of livestock. Gwalior is considered as a Semi-Central Zone where different tribes particularly Gujjar’s and Bakerwals had made livestock usually cattle-rearing as their proficient business. The production and productivity of small ruminants in Gwalior state are greatly hindered by various diseases which specially include gastro-intestinal parasitic infection mainly caused due to inappropriate care, unhygienic environmental conditions, severe and hot climatic conditions, and close interaction with other infected animals. Gastrointestinal parasitism is a worldwide problem which has affected masses of ruminants throughout the entire world; and Therefore, a one-year-long epizootic survey was accompanied to study the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites and various species of GI parasites present in small ruminants like (goats/sheep) in the Gwalior region of Madhya Pradesh. From January 2019 to January 2020, an aggregate of 338 faecal samples of (goats and sheep) from different locations in Gwalior were examined to confirm the presence of parasites and gastrointestinal parasitic infections. Majority of the samples were found positive for endoparasites and goats were also detected positive for gastrointestinal parasites too. In Goat, the inclusive incidence of Haemonchus, Coccidia, Trichuris, Nematodirus, and Fasciola were 47.6, 36.5, 39.6% respectively. While, In Sheep the incidence of Haemonchus, Coccidia, Trichuris were found to be as 58.1, 37.2, 23.2% respectively. More prominently, the occurrence of Nematodirus and Fasciola (20.9, 2.32%) were detected individually in sheep alone. The current analysis could assist as a reference line study for additional extensive experiments to evaluate specific region risk factors.

Zoonotic tuberculosis knowledge and practices among cattle handlers in selected districts of Bangladesh

We assessed zoonotic tuberculosis (zTB) knowledge and prevention and control practices of 404 cattle handlers via a survey in three dairy-intensive districts of Bangladesh. Most respondents were aged 30–49 (52%) and male (95%). Almost all (99%) recognized the important public health burden of tuberculosis in Bangladesh, however, most (58%) had inadequate knowledge about zTB transmission to humans. Inappropriate practices such as: not using protective equipment (98%); smoking, drinking or eating food whilst working with cattle (69%); and sharing the same premises with animals (83%) were identified. Cattle handlers educated at secondary or higher levels were 2.82- (95% CI: 1.59–5.10) and 5.15 times (95% CI: 1.74–15.20) more likely to have adequate knowledge of control and prevention activities compared to those with no formal education. Those who had reared animals for 1–5 years were 2.67 times (95% CI: 1.44–4.91) more likely to have adequate knowledge, compared to those who reared animals for >15 years. Cattle handlers with a monthly incomes of 10,000–20,000 taka were significantly (Odds Ratio = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.14–0.92) less likely to have adequate knowledge compared to those with monthly incomes <10,000 taka. Cattle handlers with high school or higher education were 6.98 times (95% CI: 2.47–19.71) more likely to use appropriate zTB control and prevention practices compared to those without formal education. Those who had reared animals for 1–5 years, 6–10 years and 11–15 years were 2.72- (95% CI: 1.42–5.24), 2.49- (95% CI: 1.29–4.77) and 2.86 times (95% CI: 1.13–7.23) more likely to apply appropriate practices compared to those who reared animals for >15 years. Overall, education, duration of cattle rearing and monthly income predicted zTB knowledge and practices. There is an urgent need to educate those at high-risk of zTB transmission on issues including the handling of infected animals, and general hygiene. A One Health approach, to support the Sustainable Development Goals and the End TB strategy, appears to be the way forward.

Conflict Between Farmers and Herdsmen on Food Stability in Taraba State

One major problem confronting the national peace of Nigeria today is the manifestation of conflicts between farmers and herders in different dimensions across the country. This conflict has spread over wide geographical areas in Nigeria and Taraba State in particular. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the impact of farmers-herders conflicts on food production, food availability, food stability and food utilization in Taraba state. Three objectives, three research questions and three hypotheses were adopted to guide this study. The study utilized the survey research method and sampled 385 respondents using multistage sampling technique. The data for this study was obtained from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data was generated from a field survey using a structured questionnaire. The study utilized data and infrastructure from multiple policy documents in the State Ministry of Agriculture, Jalingo. Data generated from the field were complemented by extensive review on the farmers-herders conflicts. The data collected were analyzed using a p table, and Percentage and Pearson Correlation was used to test the hypotheses. The study findings revealed that there exists a significant relationship between farmers-herdsmen conflicts and food stability problems in Taraba State; also, there is significant relationship between farmers-herdsmen conflicts and food availability in Taraba State, amongst others. The study concluded that herdsmen do not recognize the existence of any boundary in terms of their grazing, coming in hundreds, usually fully armed with modern guns, and they move with thousands of cattle, sparing no farm. Thus, government should establish sustainable cattle ranching in different parts of Taraba State and encourage medium techniques in cattle rearing to curb the menace of farmers-herders clashes.