BirdLife Zimbabwe condemns vulture poisoning in Featherstone Animal Husbandry News by Regina Pasipanodya - January 23, 2020January 23, 20200 BirdLife Zimbabwe (BLZ) strongly condemns the recent accidental poisoning and death of fifty two critically endangered White-backed Vultures that took place in Featherstone (Central Zimbabwe) on the 13th of January 2020. Seventy vultures were located over a two-day period of which fifty one had perished. Nineteen live birds were collected and rushed to Harare for treatment. One bird died in transit and another individual succumbed after three days of treatment. Of the remaining seventeen birds, two are still in a critical condition while fifteen are currently under rehabilitation with the aim of releasing them back into the wild. Many thanks to Josh Stafford, Craig Mirams, Tracey Couto and others for their quick response, climbing trees at all hours of the night
BOER GOAT SERIES: Do you know that they are a good breed for meat productions? Animal Husbandry by Regina Pasipanodya - December 6, 2019December 6, 20190 By Regina Pasipanodya The Boer goat is a breed of goat that have some special characteristics which have made them different from other goat breeds. Boer goats commonly have distinctive brown heads and white bodies and are said to have originated from South Africa. Some goats are completely white or brown coloured. They possess long, pendulous ears like the Nubian goats and are very hardy and can adopt themselves with almost all types of weather. Boer goats were bred for body shape, high growth rate, and fertility. Boers have large frames and produce more muscle in less time than other goats. They spend more time grazing than other goats and can graze on land that can't support dairy goats. Boer goats are also
Drought claims 115 elephants at the Hwange National Park Animal Husbandry News by Regina Pasipanodya - November 12, 2019November 12, 20190 At least 115 elephants have died at Hwange National Park this year due to the shortage of food and water. Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo told The Herald that water reservoirs were drying up. He said at Hwange National Park, 105 elephants died between September and October. Since the beginning of this month, 10 elephant deaths have been recorded at the same park, but the number could be higher. He said Hwange National Park has the biggest population of elephants in the country. “Ideally, Hwange National Park should have a maximum of about 5 000 elephants. However, we have more than 50 000 elephants in the park now. They are competing with other animals for scarce resources. Most of
The Summer Population Explosion Animal Husbandry by Regina Pasipanodya - November 12, 2019November 12, 20190 By Amy Mons Summer has arrived and with it has come to the yearly population explosion of both puppies and kittens. Sadly, as the cost of living rises fewer animals are sterilized and so the Harare SPCA and other charities are inundated with unwanted offspring of owned pets as well as orphans and feral born animals that are picked up off the roads. If they are healthy and able to eat alone, they are vaccinated and put up for adoption, however many of them come in very young and some without mothers and so they need fostering until they are old and well enough to be adopted. Fostering is no easy task and requires round the clock dedication. The sad fact is that after
Over 4000 cattle die in Masving alone due to drought Animal Husbandry News by Regina Pasipanodya - November 5, 20190 By Regina Pasipanodya Over 4000 cattle die in Masvingo due to Elnino induced drought recently, an official has revealed. According to a Zbc report, Zimuto area in Masvingo revealed a desperate state of affairs with communal farmers fearing for their livestock due to the harsh environmental conditions. The veterinary service department director for Masvingo, Dr. Earnest Dzimwasha said Chiredzi and Mwenezi are the most affected areas as prolonged dry spells continue. “So far 4000 cattle death has been recorded in this province alone due to drought”, said Dr. Dzimwasha.
The most dangerous diseases that can affect your livestock Animal Husbandry by Regina Pasipanodya - November 4, 2019November 4, 20190 The most dangerous diseases that can affect your livestock Bovine Tuberculosis Cattle are prone to catch bovine TB. This can spread to people who handle cattle and who come into contact with infected nasal mucus. Even someone who has had a BCG injection is at risk. A cattle become extremely emaciated and will have acute respiratory distress among other symptoms. Bovine TB is difficult to diagnose with clinical signs alone. In the early stages of TB, clinical signs are not visible. In later stages, clinical signs may include emaciation, lethargy, weakness, anorexia, low- grade fever, and pneumonia with a chronic, moist cough. Lymph nodes may also be enlarged. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) is a disease that’s fatal to cattle. Unfortunately, it can spread to humans who
