The Domestic (Water) Buffalo in Africa: New and Unusual Records
Journal Title: Journal of Buffalo Science - Year 2016, Vol 5, Issue 2
Abstract
The domestic (water) buffalo is not indigenous to Africa. Some buffalo may have been taken to what is now Tunisia in Roman times about 2000 years ago. The species arrived in Egypt from Mesopotamia some 1200 years past and there were attempted introductions to the east coast of Africa by the Portuguese from India in the sixteenth century. The missionary-explorer David Livingstone took four buffalo from India to what is now southern Tanzania in 1866. In the twentieth century, European powers introduced buffalo to many of their African colonies. In addition to Egypt and Tunisia on the Mediterranean coast of north Africa buffalo have been introduced to fourteen subSaharan countries. Information on these introductions is sparse and is obviously incomplete. With the exceptions of Tanzania, where there have been buffalo for 90 years, and Mozambique, where there is documented presence over about 50 years, buffalo have been present for very short periods. They have disappeared without trace in some countries and have been culled in others due to adaptation or disease problems. Suitable ecological niches for buffalo exist in many African countries. Too few animals, failure to provide sufficient public financial resources and lack of private sector interest are among the reasons for the buffalo’s failure to contribute to African livestock production.
Authors and Affiliations
R. Trevor Wilson
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP33606
- DOI -
- Views 349
- Downloads 0
Ultrasonography and Reproduction in Buffalo
Ultrasonography is a simple, reliable and non-invasive imaging technique without secondary effects. Application of real time ultrasonography in veterinary practice has developed to become the most efficient diagnostic t...
Molecular Tools in Buffalo’s Characterization: Practical Applications. A Review
The utility of the techniques of analysis concerning DNA is clear and a review of the main applications of the molecular tools in the genetic characterization of buffalo populations is done.
On Morphology and Morphometry of Trichuris ovis Abildgaard, 1795 Recovered from Ruminants of Ladakh, India
Morphology and morphometry is used as tools for parasite identification since times immemorial, however this trend has been no longer used since the last decades and the identification became dependent on molecular cha...
Ultrasound-Guided Paravertebral Regional Anesthesia in Water Buffalo
Adequate flank regional anaesthesia was achieved using ultrasound-guided nerve block of the 13th thoracic, 1st and 2nd lumbar spinal nerves after their exits from their intervertebral foraminae with only 5 ml of lidocai...
Lactation Persistency in Bulgarian Murrah Buffalo Cows
With the objective to establish the lactation persistency and its variability as affected by different factors, the study assigned 953 lactations of 310 Bulgarian Murrah buffalo cows bred on the farm of Agricultural Ins...