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After assessing the health of local sheep and goats in 2008, the RBG decided to help local herders improve the management and health of their herds within our Community-Based Rangeland Rehabilitation (CBRR). Our goals were to:
Parturition
We introduced the practice of isolating rams from the flock, in order to synchronize parturition and achieve a high animal pregnancy rate.
Not only did pregnancies increase considerably, but herd management became far simpler. The herders found it was easier and less costly to manage newborns all at the same time. Plus their profits increased due to more efficient marketing of lambs and milk.
Flock Health
Starting in 2009, we introduced programmes for animal vaccination, an animal pharmacy, training for a para-veterinarian selected by the herders, community training and outreach, forage disbursement, and new management techniques.
All these programmes assist the herders to raise their income by decreasing losses in their herds, increasing production, and protecting the health of animals and newborns.
Herd Vaccination
The CBRR set up a vaccination programme in cooperation with the herders, to provide animals with protection against targeted infectious diseases.
Our management plan allows the herders to vaccinate their animals easily, together on one date and in a safe way. Using this programme eliminates any misuse and mishandling of vaccines.
Some vaccines and medicines are provided free of charge by the Ministry of Agriculture, and some are purchased by the RBG.
Animal Pharmacy
The CBRR established a veterinary pharmacy "in a bag" to supply the herders with animal medications at cost. We decided to do this to address a documented problem in obtaining high-quality, unexpired medications at affordable prices. The use and abuse of medications was one of the management issues found by our veterinarian during our initial herd assessments.
The veterinarian supervises the pharmacy and a para-veterinarian helps provide the medicine to herders. The pharmacy helped treat about 300 diseased animals in 2009.
Para-Veterinarian
After several meetings with the herding community in Tell Ar-Rumman, the herders choose someone to be their para-veterinarian. Jameel, pictured to the right, underwent training to be able to administer vaccinations, as well as recognize and treat common diseases. His work was so successful that two more local para-veterinarians have now also been trained.
Hygiene Workshop
The RBG has also held hygiene workshops in the local community, to improve family health and prevent the contraction of diseases.
We are pleased to report that local herding families who are participating in the CBRR programme are seeing healthier herds and increased profits from their herds.