Mara Mobile Veterinary Unit

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Feb 24 2007 | By: admin

Currently, Maasai communities residing in the immediate vicinity of the reserve have lacked provision of professional veterinary service for over 20 years. Sick livestock in the community are either treated using over-the-counter drugs or simply left untreated. The endemic disease causes loss of livestock production by chronic condition, or incurs direct economic loss due to mortality.

Due to the abundance of tropical disease vectors (ticks, tsetse flies and other biting flies) and reservoirs (wild angulates), Maasai cattle are constantly exposed endemic diseases such as Trypanosomiasis, Malignant Catarrhal Fever, Rinderpest, Foot and Mouth Disease and East Coast Fever (at times reaching heavier mortality). Apart from the endemic diseases, irregular and infrequent dipping and deworming schemes, seasonal fluctuation of pasture quality are some of the other causes for cattle unthriftiness in this area. This year, prolonged drought caused devastating livestock loss in Trans Mara. As many as two hundred cattle died from starvation in a village, leaving people in vain.

The livestock directly affects the livelihood of the Maasai community and the provision of veterinary service is critical, not only for the improvement of the livestock health, but for the community as whole. The improvement of cattle health plays an important role in uplifting the income level in this community through more profitable livestock and livestock product sales.