Inspiration from Yewol for all of us

Five years ago, communities in the dry highlands of the Yewol mountains found it difficult to grow even their staple crops. In the rainy season, rainwater gushed down the slopes eroding the soil. Free grazing of cattle and unreliable rain affected the productivity so much that crops began to dwindle along with their livestock. Migration was the only way out for some. Food shortage stalked the residents and it still is a reality for some

Study on the acaricidal effects of Azadirachta indica and Phytolacca dodecandra on Amblyomma ticks in Ethiopia

A study was carried out to investigate the acaricidal effect of extracts of Azadirachta indica (neem) and Phytolacca dodecandra (locally known endod in Ethiopia) on Amblyomma cohaerens and Amblyomma variegatum. An adult stage of A. cohaerens was collected from east Wollega zone of the Oromia region of Ethiopia and the larval stage of A. variegatum was obtained from tick rearing unit of the National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Centre (NAHDIC), Sebeta, Ethiopia. Neem seed was  collected from Awash town of the Afar region. Berries of endod from Aklilu Lemma Institute of  Pathobiology and commercial neem oil were obtained from India. The water extract of the two plants at doses of 18,750 ppm, 37,500ppm, 75,000 ppm, 150,000 ppm and 300,000 ppm were tested on Petri dish and using the immersion method. The result showed that, neem seed water extract produced mortality rate of 16.6% on adult stage of A. cohaerens at a dose of 300,000 ppm. The LD50 indicated a dose of 370,854.7 ppm and no statistically significant (p>0.05) difference was observed among the two methods of applications. The same extract in both methods of application produced a mortality rates of 8.3%, 16.6% and 41.6 % at doses of 75,000ppm, 150,000ppm and 300,000ppm  respectively on A.variegatum and the probit analysis indicated LD50 of 366,64ppm. Endod extract did not produce any mortality at all doses tested on both species of ticks. Neem oil was also evaluatedat a concentration of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%. At 100% concentration, the oil caused 50% mortality on adult of A. cohaerens whereas 20% concentration resulted  in 8.3% mortality rate. Likewise, 100%, 100% and 75% mortality rate on A. variegtum was observed at 100%, 80% and 20% concentrations of the oil respectively. Probit analysis indicated LD50 value of 11.7%  concentration. The water extracts of both plants did not  produce 100% efficacy while promising results were obtained by neem oil on larva of A. variegatum at high concentrations.Keywords: Acaricidal effect, Amblyomma variegatum, Amblyomma cohaerens, Azadirachta indica (neem), Phytolacca dodecandra (endod)

Food and Feeding Habits of the Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L. 1758) (Pisces: Cyprinidae) in Lake Koka, Ethiopia

Feeding habits of Cyprinus carpio was studied in Lake Koka, Ethiopia, in April and May (dry months) and July and August (wet months), 2011. The objective of the study was to identify the diet composition, seasonal variation in diet and ontogenetic dietary shift. Gut contents of435 fish were analyzed using frequency of occurrence and volumetric analysis. In frequency of occurrence method the number of gut samples was expressed as a percentage of all non-empty stomachs examined while in volumetric method the volume of each food category was expressed as a percentage of the total volume of the gut contents. Detritus, insects and macrophytes were the dominant food categories occurring in 97.0%, 85.2% and 53.3% of the guts and comprising 39.8%, 36.4% and 12.4% of the total volume of food items, respectively. The remaining food categories were of low importance in the diet. The frequency of occurrence and volumetric contributions of the different food categories of C. carpio significantly varied (U-test, p<0.05) during the dry and wet seasons. During the dry season, insects and detritus were important food categories, occurring in 94.4% and 98.6 of the guts and comprising 42.3% and 36.1% of the total volume of food, respectively. During the wet season, detritus was the most important food category. It occurred in 93.9% of the guts and accounted for 48.8% of the total volume of food. Insects and macrophytes were also important during the wet season, occurring in 68.2% and 74.3% of the guts and comprising 23.6% and 22.6% of the total volume of food, respectively. The contributions of animal origin food categories were important in the diet of juveniles whereas food of plant origin were more important in the diet of adults. However, there were no significant variations in the diet of individuals in the different size classes. Based on the results, it was concluded that C. carpio was omnivorous in its feeding habits in Lake Koka with considerable seasonal variation but insignificant onto genetic change in its diet.Keywords: Cyprinuscarpio, Lake Koka, Seasonal and Ontogenetic Variation in Diet, Ethiopia

Occurrence of bovine hydatidosis and evaluation of its risk to humans in traditional communities of Southern Region of Ethiopia

Background: Cystic Echinococcosis/ Hydatid Disease, is an infection caused by the larval stage of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus, one of the most widespread parasitic zoonoses.Objective: To determine the occurrence, localization and fertility/sterility rates of hydatid cyst in cattle, to determine the prevalence of adult E. granulosus in dogs and asses the risk for human infection in traditional communities.Methods: Postmortem examination, hydatid cyst characterization,  questionnaire survey and dog stool sample examination were carried out.Results: Of the total 320 ruminants examined at backyard slaughtering, 151 (47.2%) were found harboring hydatid cysts. The liver and lungs were the two main infected organs, 34.4% and 52.3%, respectively. The majority of the cysts found were small, 54.3%, and medium, 37.7%. From the total number of cysts found, 70.2% were sterile, while 29.8% were fertile. A questionnaire survey revealed that local people were unaware of the life cycle of E. granulosus and the perpetuation of its life cycle by their cultural and traditional practices. Dogs have intimate contact with humansand other domestic animals, share the same house and also dogs do not have access for veterinary care. Stool samples of 62 dogs were collected and analyzed with a 30% prevalence of taenia infection confirmed to be E. granulosus.Conclusion: Because of the high prevalence of E. granulosus infection in dogs and hydatidosis in cattle as well as common practice of backyard slaughtering, the risk of human infection in traditional communities is suspected to be high and requires immediate attention to study the status of cystic ehinococcosis in the human population of the study area.[Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2012;26(1):43-48

Hydrological Foundation as a Basis for a Holistic Environmental Flow Assessment of Tropical Highland Rivers in Ethiopia

The sustainable development of water resources includes retaining some amount of the natural flow regime in water bodies to protect and maintain aquatic ecosystem health and the human livelihoods and wellbeing dependent upon them. Although assessment of environmental flows is now occurring globally, limited studies have been carried out in the Ethiopian highlands, especially studies to understand flow-ecological response relationships. This paper establishes a hydrological foundation of Gumara River from an ecological perspective. The data analysis followed three steps: first, determination of the current flow regime flow indices and ecologically relevant flow regime; second, naturalization of the current flow regime looking at how flow regime is changing; and, finally, an initial exploration of flow linkages with ecological processes. Flow data of Gumara River from 1973 to 2018 are used for the analysis. Monthly low flow occurred from December to June; the lowest being in March, with a median flow of 4.0 m(3) s(-1). Monthly high flow occurred from July to November; the highest being in August, with a median flow of 236 m(3) s(-1). 1-Day low flows decreased from 1.55 m(3) s(-1) in 1973 to 0.16 m(3) s(-1) in 2018, and 90-Day (seasonal) low flow decreased from 4.9 m(3) s(-1) in 1973 to 2.04 m(3) s(-1) in 2018. The Mann-Kendall trend test indicated that the decrease in low flow was significant for both durations at alpha = 0.05. A similar trend is indicated for both durations of high flow. The decrease in both low flows and high flows is attributed to the expansion of pump irrigation by 29 km(2) and expansion of plantations, which resulted in an increase of NDVI from 0.25 in 2000 to 0.29 in 2019. In addition, an analysis of environmental flow components revealed that only four "large floods" appeared in the last 46 years; no "large flood" occurred after 1988. Lacking "large floods" which inundate floodplain wetlands has resulted in early disconnection of floodplain wetlands from the river and the lake; which has impacts on breeding and nursery habitat shrinkage for migratory fish species in Lake Tana. On the other hand, the extreme decrease in "low flow" components has impacts on pin smaller pools. These results serve as the hydrological foundation for continued studies in the Gumara catchment, with the eventual goal of quantifying environmental flow requirements.redators, reducing their mobility and ability to access prey concentrate