West African dwarf goat

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West African Dwarf goats
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West African Dwarf
FAO (2007): not at risk[1]: 146 
Other names
  • African Dwarf
  • Djallonké
  • Fouta Jallon
  • Grassland Dwarf
  • Chèvre Naine des Savanes
  • Guinean
  • Guinean Dwarf
  • Forest Goat
  • Pygmy
Distribution
Traits
Weight
  • 20–30 kg[2]: 416 
Height
  • 40–50 cm[2]: 416 
Horn statususually horned in both sexes
Beardmales often bearded[2]: 416 
Tasselssometimes present
  • Capra hircus

    • The West African Dwarf is a large and variable

    tsetse-borne trypanosomiasis or "sleeping-sickness".[3]
    : 106 

    There are many regional strains or breeds within the group; other names for the group as a whole include African Dwarf, Djallonké or Fouta Jallon, Grassland Dwarf or Chèvre Naine des Savanes, Guinean or Guinean Dwarf, Forest Goat and Pygmy.[2]: 416 [4]: 52 

    History

    The West African Dwarf is a traditional breed of West and Central Africa. Its dwarf characteristics may have evolved as a response to conditions in the humid forests of the area.[3]: 106 

    The goats have at various times been exported to European countries and to the United States, initially as zoo animals or for laboratory research. Several breeds derive from these imports, among them the

    Nigerian Dwarf in the United States, the Pygmy in the United Kingdom, the Dutch Dwarf or Nederlandse Dwerggeit in the Netherlands, and the Tibetana in Italy.[2]
    : 416 

    Characteristics

    The West African Dwarf goat is

    achondroplastic, with a typical height of 30 to 50 cm (12 to 20 in). Adult males weigh 20 to 25 kg (44 to 55 lb) and females 18 to 22 kg (40 to 49 lb). Both sexes have horns, which curve outwards and backwards in males. Males also have beards and sometimes manes. Characteristics include a relatively long neck, broad chest, and straight back. Legs are short and the udder is small but generally well-shaped. Most have short stiff hair, and colour varies; dark brown with black points is probably the most common, but black, red, white, pied, and multi-coloured goats also occur.[3]
    : 111 

    There are numerous regional breeds or strains within the overall West African Dwarf grouping. These include the

    Côte d'Ivoire, the Djougry or Chèvre Nain de l'Est in Mauritania, the Ghan Forest in Ghana, the Kirdi in the north of Cameroon and in the south of Chad, the Kosi in Cameroon and the Nigerian Dwarf in Nigeria.[2]: 416  In Burkina Faso and Togo, the Fouta Djallon or Djallonké sub-group includes traditional strains including the Bath, the Kanem, the Kebbi, the Lac, the Massakori, the Mayo and the Mossi.[2]
    : 416 

    Use

    West African Dwarf goats are important in the rural village economy of West Africa. Nigerian West African Dwarf goats are trypanotolerant (they resist to infections by

    parasite nematode Haemonchus contortus more effectively than other breeds of domestic goat).[5]

    West African Dwarf goats are capable of breeding at twelve to eighteen months. Multiple births are very common, with twins being normal and triplets frequent. The kidding interval averages about 220 days. These goats are typically kept as livestock by families who harvest or sell the milk and meat.[3]: 111 

    See also

    References

    1. ISBN 9789251057629
      . Accessed January 2017.
    2. ^
      ISBN 9781780647944
      .
    3. ^
      ISBN 9789251029985
      .
    4. ^ [s.n.] (1979). Trypanotolerant Livestock in West & Central Africa. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: International Livestock Centre for Africa; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; United Nations Environment Programme.
    5. PMID 25744655. Open access icon
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