An overview of disease-free buffalo breeding projects with reference to the different systems used in South Africa
Date
2012-11
Authors
Laubscher, Liesel L.
Hoffman, Louwrens C.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI AG
Abstract
This paper describes the successful national program initiated by the South
African government to produce disease-free African buffalo so as to ensure the
sustainability of this species due to threats from diseases. Buffalo are known carriers of
foot-and-mouth disease, bovine tuberculosis, Corridor disease and brucellosis. A long-term
program involving multiphase testing and a breeding scheme for buffalo is described
where, after 10 years, a sustainable number of buffalo herds are now available that are free
of these four diseases. A large portion of the success was attributable to the use of dairy
cows as foster parents with the five-stage quarantine process proving highly effective in
maintaining the “disease-free” status of both the calves and the foster cows. The projects
proved the successfulness of breeding with African buffalo in a commercial system that
was unique to African buffalo and maintained the “wildness” of the animals so that they
could effectively be released back into the wild with minimal, if any, behavioral problems.
Description
Laubscher, L. & Hoffman, L. 2012. An overview of disease-free buffalo breeding projects with reference to the different systems used in South Africa. Sustainability, 4(11), 3124-3140, doi:10.3390/su4113124.
The original publication is available at http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/4/11/3124
The original publication is available at http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/4/11/3124
Keywords
Buffalo breeding projects -- South Africa, Buffalo -- Captive breeding
Citation
Laubscher, L. & Hoffman, L. 2012. An overview of disease-free buffalo breeding projects with reference to the different systems used in South Africa. Sustainability, 4(11), 3124-3140, doi:10.3390/su4113124.