A Nigerian indigenous traditional animal health specialist, Alhaji Wahabi Salami, has urged his country to fully utilise its wealth of traditional animal husbandry knowledge.
According to Salami, indigenous or traditional knowledge is very important in the improvement and management of the health of both non-ruminant and ruminant animals if we are to get lasting solutions to many of the diseases affecting our animals. "There are many African countries that have realized the importance of indigenous technologies for the sustenance of good animal health and this has greatly helped their development," he said.
"Countries like Niger, Tanzania, Malawi and even South-Africa are combining indigenous technology with their knowledge of animal husbandry. A country like Niger is known for cattle rearing and just imagine the number of cattle coming into Nigeria from Niger alone. What do you think is the secret of their large production of this ruminant animal? Simple application of indigenous knowledge to animal husbandry. So Nigeria should also do the same and we would have gone half way in solving our animals health problems," said Salami.
Giving an example of an animal disease that can be managed and treated using indigenous method, he said a skin diseases like mange can be treated with ordinary pawpaw. Explaining, he said mange is one chronic animal disease that can kill any animal if not well managed. Apart from the mortality that could result, it also reduces the market value of animals infected.
"Mange can be treated with overripe pawpaw and the duration of treatment is a matter of days. Rub the overripe pawpaw on the skin of the affected animals and let the animal stay indoors for some days and before you know it, everything is gone."
Salami said shea butter mixed with salt is also an effective therapy for the control of mange and other fungal and bacterial animal skin diseases.
He appealed to government to incorporate indigenous knowledge into the curricular of schools "so that our tradition and culture does not go into extinction." The traditional animal health expert further posited that many agricultural experts are beginning to appreciate traditional knowledge and practise, especially in the management of livestock.
The Tribune
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