The Livestock sector plays a central role in nature resource based livelihood of the vast majority of population and often considered as the poor people’s ATM. They are kept as a unit of production and provide an important source of revenue, employment and wealth. However this sector is facing a number of problems like bad health, shortage of feed and fodder, increase incidence of emerging and reemerging diseases etc and the most drastic amongst them being the Natural disasters like earthquake, floods, volcanoes etc. This paper gives a brief idea about the ill effects of natural disasters on the health of livestock, thereby effecting their production and productivity along with the various strategies to be kept in mind while dealing with disaster like event.

No abstract

No abstract

Background: Stress is a serious health problem in dairy cattle resulting in decreased milk production along with disturbances in reproductive functions. India is currently losing nearly 2 per cent of the total milk production, amounting to a whooping over Rs. 2,661 crore due to rise in thermal stress among lactating cattle and buffaloes because of the global warming (Upadhyay et al. 2007). Methods: The present study was conducted on 18 thermal stressed cross-bred dairy cattle for a period of about 45 days for detection and amelioration of thermal stress with the objective to evaluate clinic-haemato-biochemical, oxidative stress indices. Three different groups were taken in study with each group having 6 animals. Result: Reduced milk yield, increased physiological parameters; respiration rate, heart rate, rectal temperature, were observed in positive control animals. Cortisol a stress hormone was estimated for evaluation and amelioration of thermal stress. Haematological examination revealed decreased Hb, PCV and lymphopenia and concomitant neutrophilia in Group 1 animals. Biochemical evaluation revealed hyperglycemia, increased total protein and plasma glycine, decreased calcium, Na, K and Cl levels while as cortisol, AST, ALT levels were found to be increased in thermally stressed dairy cattle to which no supplement was given. Oxidative indices showed decreased activity of GSH, catalase, SOD activity in thermally stressed cattle which were ameliorated with micro-nutrients and mineral supplements.

The present study was purposively carried out in Kashmir Division of Jammu and Kashmir state that was severely hit by devastating floods in September 2014. The main aim of the study was to elaborate the socio-economic profile and disaster resilience among the farmers involved in livestock rearing when floods hit the Kashmir valley in September 2014. The major findings of the study were that majority of the livestock farmers belonged to middle age group of 41 -60 years with the average age of 50.48 and were mostly illiterate (55.42%) with herd size of 2-3 cattle/buffalo (65.42%) average herd size being 2.00. On the other hand, majority of the respondents (49.58) were having herd size of 1 -10 with respect to small ruminants (sheep/goat) with the average being 2.32. A sizeable portion of respondents (48.75%) were having backyard poultry in the range of 1 -21 poultry birds per household with the highest mean of 9 poultry birds per household reported from Bandipora District. Major findings indicated that most of the respondents (96.25%) had no formal social participation except for presence of religion-based participation. With respect to the communication pattern adopted by livestock farmers, majority of them had a low level of extension contact with the informal sources like family members, friends etc. and a medium level of extension contact with the formal sources like Veterinarians, LSA etc. They also had a least exposure to mass media sources related to livestock rearing practices. The findings also showed that the application of indigenous knowledge in the face of hazards and other threats was almost getting diminished as majority of respondents of the study didn't rely on the traditional warning practices/indicators for predicting disaster like floods. Careful selection of building materials was one of the preventive measures taken in advance to reduce the impact of flood by the livestock owners. Education and income were found positively and significantly (p < 0.05) related with level of preparedness of respondents. With respect to economic losses only income was positively and highly significantly (p < 0.01) correlated. Cattle/Buffalo herd size was positive and highly significant (p < 0.01) and that of Sheep/Goat herd size was also positive and significant (p < 0.05) in relation with level of preparedness of respondents to meet disasters. Further flock size of Sheep/Goat was negatively but significantly correlated (p < 0.05) with economic losses suffered by respondents during floods of 2014. Moreover, mass media exposure was also positively and highly significantly correlated (p < 0.01) in relation with the level of preparedness of respondents to meet disasters like floods and that with respect to economic losses suffered by livestock farmer during floods of 2014 it was negatively but significantly correlated (p < 0.05). As far as awareness about zoonotic disease transmitted and livestock rearing safety practices of respondents was concerned, it was found that they were positively and highly significant (p ...