Copper (Cu) metabolism in domestic herbivores as guide to criteria for predicting the Cu nutritional status of wild ruminants in southern Africa.

In southern Africa game farming has become an effective way of using underutilised resources and a valuable method of preserving and increasing wildlife numbers. However, little is known about the mineral requirements of wild animal species or the assessment of the mineral nutritional status of these species. To establish criteria for estimating the copper (Cu) nutritional status of wildlife, current knowledge about Cu metabolism and criteria for domestic animals has been used.

Modeling protected species distributions and habitats to inform siting and management of pioneering ocean industries: A case study for Gulf of Mexico aquaculture.

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) provides a process that uses spatial data and models to evaluate environmental, social, economic, cultural, and management trade-offs when siting (i.e., strategically locating) ocean industries.

Observations and perceptions of veterinarians and farmers on heartwater distribution, occurrence and associated factors in South Africa.

Background: There is currently no scientific evidence regarding the current climatic or other epidemiological factors that could influence the occurrence of heartwater in South Africa.

Objectives: The objective was to determine whether climatic changes or other epidemiological factors influence the occurence of heartwater in South Africa.

Method: A survey was conducted to scrutinise these factors using both veterinarians and farmers working in known areas in which heartwater had previously been confirmed to establish the value of each of these factors.

A questionnaire survey on diseases and problems affecting sheep and goats in communal farming regions of the Eastern Cape province, South Africa.

A questionnaire of 15 questions was completed by four categories of respondents with the aim of establishing the experience and opinions of these groups on the constraints including animal health problems for communal, small-scale sheep and goat farming in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The questionnaires were completed independently and categories were representative of the areas investigated. Analysis of responses was done by means, ranges, votes and clusters of responses.

Incomplete reduction of branchial clefts in Mutton Merino lambs.

Congenital malformations of the branchial arches, clefts and grooves have not been previously reported in sheep. These defects may be due to infectious agents (especially viruses), toxins or genetic abnormalities. Defects were reported in two of a set of quadruplet lambs born prematurely to an eight-tooth Mutton Merino ewe.