The constraining role of disease on the spread of domestic mammals in sub-Saharan Africa: A review

Mitchell, Peter

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2017.05.011

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 86 publications

(100 reference statements)

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“…These highly resilient cattle populations were then likely dispersed to West and East Africa. Domestic cattle were kept by at least the 7th-6th millennium Before the Common Era (BCE) in what is now the Sahara, but there were substantial time lags before they reached East Africa 5000-4500 years ago [14,15] and Southern Africa around 2000 years ago [16,17]. Cattle, and also sheep and goats, were initially probably ill-adapted to environmental conditions and new diseases they faced in sub-Saharan Africa.…”

Section: Archaeology History and The Establishment Of South African Cattle Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cattle, and also sheep and goats, were initially probably ill-adapted to environmental conditions and new diseases they faced in sub-Saharan Africa. This appears to have constrained their spread for thousands of years, until they developed new adaptations that allowed them to survive in these ecosystems [14].…”

Section: Archaeology History and The Establishment Of South African Cattle Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Capitalizing on the Potential of South African Indigenous Beef Cattle Breeds: A Review

et al. 2021

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Cattle populations arrived in Southern Africa almost 2000 years ago, brought by farming communities migrating southwards. For centuries, cattle have been an integral component of livestock production to meet the animal protein needs of a growing population and they are also important in many cultural and religious events, as repositories of wealth and signifiers of social status. Selection within these cattle populations led to the development of breeds such as the Nguni, Afrikaner and Drakensberger that are well adapted to the local production environment. Genetic information has been generated for most of these populations, providing new insights into their ancestry and indicating moderate levels of diversity and relatively low inbreeding. Indigenous cattle breeds are present in both the well-developed commercial sector as well as the developing South African livestock sector. These breeds have been included in several research studies, mostly focusing on their production and adaptive potential. Genetic improvement of the local cattle populations and breeds, which are often more resilient to local environmental conditions, has the potential to improve the productivity of the small-scale production developing sector and contribute to the alleviation of poverty.

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Section: Archaeology History and The Establishment Of South African Cattle Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Archaeology History and The Establishment Of South African Cattle Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Capitalizing on the Potential of South African Indigenous Beef Cattle Breeds: A Review

et al. 2021

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“…At least five infections seem relevant as potential constraints on the expansion of the dog south of the Sahara: canine trypanosomiasis, canine babesiosis, canine monocytic ehrlichiosis, visceral leishmaniasis and, possibly, African horse sickness (Mitchell 2015(Mitchell , 2017. All save leishmaniasis present severe disease challenges to dogs in Africa today.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disease: A Hitherto Unexplored Constraint on the Spread of Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) in Pre-Columbian South America

Mitchell

2017

J World Prehist

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Horses

Mitchell

2022

The Encyclopedia of Ancient History

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Horses are not native to Africa, but were introduced there first into Bronze Age Egypt ca. 1700 bce . They were taken up as signifiers of elite status and weapons (mostly in pulling chariots) by New Kingdom pharaohs and retained these associations further south along the Nile in the kingdom of Kush. Their spread into North Africa and the Sahara is poorly dated, but occurred during the first millennium bce , with further expansion into the Sahel grasslands to the desert's south by the seventh/eighth centuries ce . There, they retained the same role in warfare, especially in raiding for slaves, and in differentiating elite individuals, but movement further south into West Africa was precluded by diseases such as trypanosomiasis.

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The constraining role of disease on the spread of domestic mammals in sub-Saharan Africa: A review

Cited by 8 publications

References 86 publications

Capitalizing on the Potential of South African Indigenous Beef Cattle Breeds: A Review

Capitalizing on the Potential of South African Indigenous Beef Cattle Breeds: A Review

Disease: A Hitherto Unexplored Constraint on the Spread of Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) in Pre-Columbian South America

Horses

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