Plant remedies are still the most important in therapeutics of treat livestock diseases, though large knowledge of ethno medicinal plants is declining to deterioration due to the oral passage of herbal heritage verbally. The objective of the study was to identify and document ethno-veterinary medicinal plants. The study was carried out from January to July 2014 at selected Horro Gudurru districts of western Ethiopia. The study sites were selected purposefully based on the recommendations of elders and local authorities. Ethno-botanical data were collected using semi-structured interviews, field observations and group discussion. About 51 study participants were involved in this study during the study period. A total of 25 ethno-veterinary medicinal plant species belonging to 19 families were documented with details on their local name, family, habitat, their traditional preparation and mode of application. Solanaceae families constituted the highest proportion (16%) followed by Euphorbiaceae (12%). The informants reported that there were 14 known livestock diseases which are treated by traditional healers. Herbs (44%) were the most widely used followed by shrubs (32%). Oral route of administration (76%) was the most commonly used followed by topical (24%). About 78.4% of the plant taxa were available every time. Agricultural expansion (43.3%) has been found to be the first main threat followed by deforestation (21.2%). The study revealed that the traditional healers and some livestock owners had knowledge of medicinal plants used to treat livestock diseases. Hence, further research should be conducted to evaluate the efficacy and possible toxicity of the plants in the study area.

The survey of ethno-veterinary medicinal plants was conducted from November, 2014 to April, 2015 at selected districts of Harari Regional State, eastern Ethiopia. The aim of the study was to identify and document medicinal plants and the associated ethno-medicinal knowledge of the local community. Semi-structured interview, guided field observation, group discussion and market survey were used to collect the required data. Informant consensus method and group discussion were conducted for crosschecking and verification of the information. Both descriptive statistics and quantitative methods were used for data analysis. About 46 plant species belonging to 33 families were identified and documented based on the local claims of the plants. Majority plant taxa were collected from the wild (54.4%) followed by domestic once (24%). Among these plant families, Fabaceae, Solanaeceae and Euphorbiaceae were commonly used to treat Equine colic, retained placenta and Black leg respectively. The most frequently used plant parts were reported to be the leaves (37%) and then the roots (30.4%). The condition of preparation was in the fresh form (82.5%) and fresh/dry form (17.5%). Oral administration (65.3%) was the most common route of administration. In conclusion, the participants have a wealth of indigenous knowledge about plant medicines for treating their livestock but, agricultural expansion was the major threats to medicinal plants in the study area. Thus, awareness creation should be done in order to conserve and document the plants.

An ethno botanical survey was conducted from November 2014 to April 2015 in Melkabello district, Eastern Harerghe Zone, Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia. The objectives of the study were designed to document ethno veterinary medicinal plants and identify their associated threats. A structured and pre tested questionnaire was used to collect the required data. About 20 traditional healers were purposively selected based on the recommendation of local authorities. The majority of the healers were male, 16 (80%) and the remained 4 (20%) were females. In this study about 68 medicinal plant species belonging to 55 families were identified in the study area. The principal sources of the medicinal plants were from wild, cultivated and both with the proportion of 53 (77.9%), 12 (17.6%) and 3 (4.4 %), respectively. In this study herb, 27 (39.7%) followed by tree, 19 (27.9%) were the most commonly used habits of the plants by traditional healers. The major plant parts used were leaf, 40 (58.8%) and bark, 2 (2.9%). The most common administration routes were oral, 48 (70.6%) followed by topical, 12 (17.6%) and aerosol 3(4.4%). Febrile diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, external injuries, blackleg and reproductive insufficiency were treated by the traditional practioners. In conclusion, the study revealed that participants had a good knowledge to treat livestock ailments, but the dose varies among the healers. Therefore, further study should be conducted to evaluate the efficacy and standardize the dose of medicinal plants in the study area.Keywords: Ailments, Eastern Harerghe Zone, Ethiopia, Ethno-Veterinary,Medicinal Plants

Article InformationAcross-sectional study was conducted from November 2013 to March 2014 at selected districts of Bale zone, Oromia Regional States of Ethiopia to determine the prevalence of camel trypanosmosis and assess associated potential risk factors. Simple random sampling technique was used and the study animals were selected based on the camel population of the district in the study area. The wet, thin smear and the Buffy coat examination was employed under microscope. Out of 392 examined animals, 70 (17.9%) were positive for Trypanosome evansi. There was statistically significant difference between age groups, districts of the animals and trypanosome infection (P<0.05). Higher prevalence of the infection was recorded in Age group of >4 years (27.6%) followed by 3 years (14.5%) and 3-4 years old camels (10.5%) respectively. However, there was no statistically significant difference observed between sex with the occurrence of the disease (P>0.05). The highest prevalence of the disease was observed in Delo-Mena district, 42 (23.9%) whereas the lowest was recorded in Goro district, 9 (9.90%) during the study period. The result of the current study revealed that camel trypanosmosis was highly prevalent in the study area. Thus, there is need of further study on the distribution and seasonality of the disease and its vectors in order to establish effective prevention and control measures in affected herd.

The survey was conducted with the objective of assessing potentially poisonous plants and chemicals in and around Adama town, Central Ethiopia. Three types of structured questionnaires were developed and 118 individuals (93 livestock owners, 11 animal health practitioners and 14 factories managers) were interviewed on voluntary basis. The result of this assessment indicated that 71(76.3%) of livestock owners and 10(90.9%) of animal health practitioner complained presence of plant poisoning on livestock in the study area. Similarly 31 plants were identified as having poisoning effect on livestock among which Rhizophoraceae, Sorghum bicolar, Parthenium hysterophorus, and Medicago polymorpha had the highest botanical frequency. On the other hand, 22(23.7%) livestock owners and 1(9.1%) animal health practitioners observed chemical toxicosis, respectively. About two individuals of (14.2%) interviewed factories managers received complaints of chemical toxicosis of livestock due to inappropriate disposal of their wastes. Food shortage 48%, nutritional deficiency 10.4% and due to excess consumption 8.1% were identified as major risk factors which predispose livestock in and around Adama town to poisonous plants and toxic chemicals. Therefore, further study on complained poisonous plants and toxic chemicals in the study area, and institution of pertaining control and prevention method is strongly recommended.