Melaku Tefera

Pastoral region (Location in Ethiopia) Sheep Goat Cattle donkeys Camel Horses and mules

1 Afar (North Eastern ) 2000 3000 3600 200 900 0

2 Somali (Easter ) 6600 3300 5200 360 1100 0

3 Oromo/Borena (South Eastern) 1000 500 1400 60 530 0

Oromo/Kereyou(South Eastern) 200 300 300 20 10 0

4Benshangul and Gambella

( western)100 100 100 20 0 0

5 Southern nations and nationalities(Southern) 340 500 450 40 0 0

6 Kunama (Northwestern) 100 150 200 10 0 0

* Central Statistical Agency, 2009

6

The primary role of oceans in all this is in providing barriers to dispersal

Continental drift and the unique time-sequence of lineage origination, then, are what explain the existence

of what we call the zoogeographical realms.

About 250mya all the ocean were one

Pangaea and Continental drift

Camelus bactrianusCamelus dromedarius†Camelus gigas (fossil)†Camelus hesternus (fossil)†Camelus sivalensis (fossil)[

†Camelus moreli (fossil

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Artiodactyla

Family: Camelidae

Tribe: Camelini

Genus: Camelus

•There are 2,000,000 camel in Ethiopia•Introduced around 500 AD•Three Breeds

The Legend

Figure 1.1. Painting of Queen of Sheba and King Solomon

•Lowlands•New range• Predominantly Muslim society•No horses or mules•T. evansi

Table 1.1 Livestock population and breeds in Ethiopia and Africa

Species Population x 103*

Ethiopia Africa As % of Africa

Number of breeds**

Ethiopia Africa As % of Africa

Cattle 30,000 192,000 15 17 200 9

Goat 17,000 170,000 10 14 61 22

Sheep 23,000 202,000 11 11 135 8

Camel 1,000 14,000 7 5 36 14

Donkey 4,000 11,000 36 2 15 13

Horse 1,500 3,000 50 2 34 5

Morphometric variables Mean (cm) Afar* Somali**

male female male female

Neck length 114.95 118

Neck width 29.65 26

Hump height 21.8 26.9

Hump circumference 102.3 110.5

Tail length 54.6 53.5

Ear length 10.5 10.4

Chest width 36.4 32.8

Forelimb length 136.8 133.4

Hind limb length 175.5 171.1

Shoulder height 189.65 182.4 1.96

Thoracic girth 194.5 189.3 2.04

Abdominal girth 216 212.2 2.52

Size golden in color (E). And the Kunama camels are whitish in color big and taller (F).The kunama camel are distinct whitish unrelated to the Afar and Somali camels. Probably due to its origin from North Africa via Egypt. Kunama camel are sometimes called as Barka Breed.The camel breeders select animals for milk ,one criteria is prominent mammary vein as shown in G . Camel bulls are selected day old having good conformation at birth and pedigree are the main criteria (H)

• Camel production is a monoculture

• There exists heterogeneous population a possibility for breed improvement

• Only males are selected not cows? Unlike dairy

• Camel husbandry will change due to moterization and sendenterization

• Undertake molecular study