Status of Ethno-Veterinary Medicine in the Management of Dairy Animals in Nigeria
Status of Ethno-Veterinary Medicine in the Management of Dairy Animals in Nigeria
Mathew O. Ayoola1*, Akingbolabo D. Ogunlakin2, Abel O. Oguntunji1
ABSTRACT
Ethno-veterinary medicine (EVM) can be described as an application of indigenous knowledge which involves the use of medicinal plants (MPs), acupuncture (local surgical techniques or anaesthesia), and traditional management practices to prevent and treat a spectrum of livestock diseases. In Nigeria, dairy production is predominant with cattle, sheep, and goat husbandry; largely managed by semi-sedentary and nomadic pastoralists. These pastoralists have little or no access to prompt modern veterinary medical interventions and thereby depend mostly on ethno-veterinary medicine. Recently, it has been documented that alkaloids, terpenoids, and flavonoids from these medicinal plants boost the quality and quantity of milk production. Meanwhile, there is a paucity of information on those medicinal plants and other indigenous knowledge normally used by the nomads to treat ailments of their domestic animals. The knowledge are being transferred across upcoming generations orally and is always treated as confidential. Inadequate scientific evaluation, cultural infiltration, and lack of standardization in the quality and quantity of MPs or EVM practices have crippled the development. In an attempt to solve such problems and to keep the practice in hand, there is a need for more scientific findings and a regular review of documentation.
Keywords | Dairy, Ethno-veterinary medicine, Medicinal plants, Indigenous knowledge, Pastoralists
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