The purpose of this paper is to examine the viewpoints of stakeholders in the management and conservation of farm animal biodiversity in Niger. The research applies Q methodology in order to reveal consensual and divergent discourses. After the development of the set of items on the topic of biodiversity (Q sample), the statements were sorted by the respondents through a 7-grade scale, from -3 to ?3. The analysis of Q-sort data with the qmethod package under the R software highlighted three distinct stakeholder viewpoints on the importance of biodiversity in agriculture and animal husbandry, the balance between progress and preservation and the effectiveness of different methods of conservation. The study shows an apparent consensus on the importance of biodiversity that is obviously a promoted topic in the country. Behind the consensus, different discourses are defined that all appear divided by the same dilemma between conservation and economic development. Understanding the different answers and weight attributed to each of the components of the dilemma will guide awareness-raising campaigns and help to pinpoint divergent interests among stakeholders.

Abstract. The diversity of cattle in Niger is predominantly represented by three indigenous breeds: Zebu Arabe, Zebu Bororo and Kuri. This study aimed at characterizing the genetic diversity and relationship of Niger cattle breeds using short tandem repeat (STR) marker variations. A total of 105 cattle from all three breeds were genotyped at 27 STR loci. High levels of allelic and gene diversity were observed with an overall mean of 8.7 and 0.724 respectively. The mean inbreeding estimate within breeds was found to be moderate with 0.024, 0.043 and 0.044 in Zebu Arabe, Zebu Bororo and Kuri cattle respectively. The global F statistics showed low genetic differentiation among Niger cattle with about 2.6 % of total variation being attributed to between-breed differences. Neighbor-joining tree derived from pairwise allele sharing distance revealed Zebu Arabe and Kuri clustering together while Zebu Bororo appeared to be relatively distinct from the other two breeds. High levels of admixture were evident from the distribution of pairwise inter-individual allele sharing distances that showed individuals across populations being more related than individuals within populations. Individuals were assigned to their respective source populations based on STR genotypes, and the percent correct assignment of Zebu Bororo (87.5 to 93.8 %) was consistently higher than Zebu Arabe (59.3 to 70.4 %) and Kuri (80.0 to 83.3 %) cattle. The qualitative and quantitative tests for mutation drift equilibrium revealed absence of genetic bottleneck events in Niger cattle in the recent past. High genetic diversity and poor genetic structure among indigenous cattle breeds of Niger might be due to historic zebu-taurine admixture and ongoing breeding practices in the region. The results of the present study are expected to help in formulating effective strategies for conservation and genetic improvement of indigenous Niger cattle breeds.

90379651/94704025 RESUME Le zébu peul (zébu Djelli) est l'une des races bovines qui constitue les cinq groupes (5) du cheptel bovin du Niger. Il est très apprécié de par ses aptitudes zootechniques, mais son élevage est plus localisé dans les départements et communes riveraines du fleuve Niger, notamment dans la région de Tillabéry. Ce travail vise l'étude des caractères phénotypiques de cette race du fait que dans le contexte nigérien, le zébu peul a bénéficié de peu d'étude à l'image des autres races du pays. A cet effet, des données morphobiométriques ont été collectées en 2017 dans quatre (4) départements de la région de Tillabéry et dans la zone péri-urbaine de Niamey sur 289 bovins adultes (254 femelles et 35 mâles) âgés de 3 à 19 ans. Les résultats obtenus ont montré que le profil de la tête du zébu peul du Niger est rectiligne. Les cornes de formes variables, sont présentes chez tous les individus, et souvent en coupe (77,2% pour les mâles et 48,4% pour les femelles), croissant (17,1% pour les mâles et 35,1% pour les femelles) et en lyre (5,7% pour les mâles et 15,7% pour les femelles). L'aspect de la robe chez la Djelli est majoritairement tacheté et la couleur est soit pie-rouge ou pie-noir. Les caractères quantitatifs tels que la longueur du corps et la circonférence du museau varient entre 108,0 et 150,0 centimètres pour la longueur du corps et entre 23,0 et 44,0 centimètres pour la circonférence du museau. On note aussi parmi les caractères du zébu peul du Niger, une valeur de la hauteur au garrot qui varie de 105,2 à 150,7 centimètres. Cependant, la plupart des caractères du zébu peul du Niger ont été influencés par le facteur « localité » (département) et le facteur sexe (p < 0,05). Cette étude qui a permis de mieux connaitre phénotypiquement le zébu peul Djelli du Niger, permettra de définir des stratégies adéquates pour sa valorisation. ABSTRACTThe zebu peul (zebu Djelli) belongs to the five groups of bovine breeds in Niger. It is highly appreciated because of its zootechnical potentials. The zebu peul is raised and mostly found in the areas located near the river of Niger, particularly in Tillabéry. The aim of this study is to conduct phenotypic characteristics of this breed. Previous studies revealead only few data available compare to other breeds of cattle. To achieve Z. I. YAHAYA et al. / Int. J. Biol. Chem. Sci. 13(2): 727-744, 2019 728 this, morphobiometric data were collected in 2017 from four (4) areas located in Tillabery and from the periurban area of Niamey. The bovine sample comprised of 289 adult cattle (254 females and 35 males) aged between 3 and 19 years old. The results revealved that the shape of the head is rectilinear. Horns of variable forms are present in all individuals, and often in section shape (77.2% in males and 48.4% in females), in crescent shape (17.1% in males and 35.1% in females) and in lyre shape (5.7% in males and 15.7% in females). The skin of the zebu peul is mostly spotted and the color is either pie-red or pie-black.Quantitative characters such as body ...

A total of 406 adult cows and 34 bulls belonging to the Niger Kuri cattle population were assessed for 16 body measurements and 11 qualitative traits to contribute to the characterization of this unique cattle breed. Body measurements included facial, horn, ear and rump lengths; facial, cranial, shoulder, pelvic and ischium widths; height at withers and at hips; muzzle circumference; heart girth; body and tail lengths; and thorax depth. Qualitative traits included cephalic profile, ear shape, muzzle pigmentation, eyelid pigmentation, hoof pigmentation, horn colour, dewlap size, backline profile, horn shape, spotting pattern, and coat colour pattern. Data were analysed jointly with 377 individuals from four other West African taurine cattle breeds (N'Dama, Lagunaire, Lobi and Somba) using multivariate statistical methods, including canonical and correspondence analyses. Among the breeds analysed, Kuri cattle had the highest mean values for all body measurements: height at withers and body length had mean values of 124.0 ± 0.4 and 146.8 ± 1.0 cm in Kuri cows, respectively, and 126.0 ± 2.2 and 155.7 ± 3.6 cm, respectively, in Kuri bulls. Canonical analysis allowed the construction of contour plots to illustrate the high differentiation between Kuri cattle and the other breeds, regardless of the sex of the individuals. Further, the Mahalanobis distance matrices showed that pairs involving Kuri cattle had the higher differentiation of these populations. Correspondence analysis carried out on these 11 qualitative traits allowed the researchers to ascertain a clear differentiation between the Kuri and the other taurine cattle breeds. The N'Dama, Lagunaire, Lobi, and Somba breeds did not show clear differentiation at qualitative-type trait level with 75% confidence regions computed for these four breeds being highly intermingled. In the current data, Kuri cattle had the highest frequency in qualitative features, such as concave cephalic profile, dropped ears, non-pigmented muzzle and grey-coloured horns, which are absent in West African taurine and zebu cattle breeds, according to the literature. The current evidence would suggest that unique Kuri cattle type features may result from breeding decisions rather than from zebu admixture. This work confirms that at type trait level Kuri cattle is a unique population within the West African taurine cattle group. The implementation of genetic analyses aiming at ascertaining the degree of uniqueness of the breed is advised.

Les caractéristiques anatomiques et les structures ovariennes et pathologiques du tractus génital de 500 femelles zébus (Bos indicus), appartenant à quatre races bovines (Azawak, Bororo, Djelli, Goudali), ont été étudiées à l’abattoir de Niamey au Niger du 15 août au 15 décembre 2011. Chaque animal a été examiné avant abattage. Ces vaches et génisses, âgées en moyenne de 8 ± 2,5 ans, ont eu une note d’état corporel moyenne de 1,6 ± 0,6 et un poids moyen de carcasse de 113 ± 21 kg. Les caractéristiques anatomiques du tractus génital n’ont pas présenté de différences entre les races (p > 0,05). Les caractéristiques suivantes ont été observées : diamètre du col 3,4 ± 1,1 cm, longueur du col 8,1 ± 2,5 cm, longueur des cornes 21,6 ± 5,2 cm, diamètre des cornes 1,6 ± 0,5 cm, longueur et largeur de l’ovaire droit respectivement 19,8 ± 4,4 et 11,2 ± 3,8 mm, de l’ovaire gauche 18,8 ± 4,5 et 10,2 ± 3,3 mm, et poids des ovaires droit et gauche respectivement 2,9 ± 1,8 et 2,5 ± 1,6 g. Un corps jaune a été identifié dans seulement 14 p. 100 des cas et l’absence de follicules visibles à la surface de l’ovaire a été notée dans 32 p. 100 des cas. Ces caractéristiques ont été ignificativement (p < 0,05) influencées par l’âge de l’animal. Parmi les femelles examinées, 7,4 p. 100 ont été confirmées gravides. Diverses pathologies de l’appareil génital (kystes, infections utérines, free-martinisme, pyomètre.) ont été observées sur 10,4 p. 100 des tractus génitaux.