Traditional livestock healers

Abstract

Traditional 'animal doctors' are a substantial component of livestock healthcare systems in developing countries. However, in contrast to their counterparts in human ethnomedicine, such healers and their roles have been largely ignored by the modern veterinary community. While sometimes used as informants for community-based animal healthcare projects, traditional healers are rarely integrated into project training and delivery systems, and in many countries, they work in legal limbo. This paper overviews the little that is known about traditional livestock healers and their practices and argues that they represent a valuable, but as yet untapped, resource for extending many aspects of basic animal healthcare, especially to poor and smallholder producers in remote or difficult environments. Finally, the authors suggest broad steps for integrating these healers into conventional systems.