The study was carried out in selected districts in the Northwestern Amhara, from October 2012 to May 2013. The objective of the study were to undertake on-farm and on-station phenotypic characterization of Fogera Cattle in comparison with two different local cattle population, to characterize the population structure and to identifying trait preferences, breeding management and to recommend breeding strategy for Fogera cattle. Both purposive and random samplings were employed. Data were gathered through semi-structured questionnaire, focus group discussions, field observations, census data, direct count and body measurements. About 126 smallholder farmers were interviewed. About 21 quantitative and 17 qualitative phenotypic data types were also generated from 332 cattle. The Effective population size (Ne) and rate of inbreeding (ΔF) were calculated from the counted population structure data. Both GLM procedures of SAS and descriptive statistics of SPSS software's were employed for data analyses. The results indicated that Fogera cattle were kept mostly for milk (97.62 percent). The main threats identified for the survival of Fogera cattle were scarcity of feed resources and interbreeding with other indigenous cattle, which are less demanding in terms of feed. Fogera cattle population has specific morphological appearance. Generally about 65.2 percent of male pure-Fogera cattle population are having large hump and large dewlap (93.5 percent) with cervico-thoracic (82.6 percent) hump position and long tail (97.8 percent), respectively. The coat pattern of male pure-Fogera cattle is dominated by the spotted coat pattern (82.6 percent) with 43.5 percent white black and 39.1 percent black white coat colour. Female Fogera cattle have medium (94.4 percent) hump size at cervico-thoracic positions (73.2 percent), large dewlap (62.7 percent) and long tail which is well below the hock (91.5 percent). The coat pattern of female pure-Fogera cattle is dominated by white spotted (80.3 percent) with 43.0 percent white black and 33.1 percent black white coat colour Most of the quantitative traits were highly significantly (P ≤ 0.001) affected by breed type. Except horn length and horn space all of quantitative traits for both sexes of pure-Fogera cattle from on-station were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) larger than those of the on-farm. The average linear body measurement taken on a total of 46 male pure-Fogera cattle populations were 42.68 ± 0.56 cm (mouth circumference), 16.35 ± 0.72 cm (horn length), 37.04 ± 1.16 cm (dewlap width) and 129.17 ± 1.33 cm (height at wither). The average linear body measurements for female pure-Fogera cattle were 38.23 ± 0.18 cm (mouth circumference), 13.81 ± 0.37 cm (horn length), 27.20 ± 0.42 cm (dewlap width) and 123.68 ± 0.52 cm (height at wither). The population structure were dominated by Pure-Fogera constituting 37.02 percent, Interbred with Fogera (33.71 percent) and non-Fogera (29.23 percent). The effective population size of pure-Fogera cattle was 4295, with 9016 total population. The average inbreeding level for the population was 0.012 percent. Inbreeding is at a low level and the effective population size is large. The calculated parameters indicate satisfactory genetic diversity in Fogera cattle. Milk yield, colour, power, body size and growth rate of Fogera were the most dominant traits perceived to be good by the respondents. The special qualification of this breed is to live at high amount of flooding areas with adapting other very challenging environment. Pure breeding of pure-Fogera, interbred with Fogera and non-Fogera type of breeds was used for breeding practice with natural mating. The Andassa Research Center established in 1964 as Fogera cattle population improving centre, but according to different source, population viability and population structure indicated that the population are not viable and highly admixture with other indigenous cattle breeds. According to this in order to improve the population status of Fogera cattle we recommended control with open-nucleus breeding strategy. So in order to minimize the risk status of this breed and conserve for the future generation any responsible agent should be given priority.

From 1980s onwards, Indonesia's government has been implementing crossbreeding with European beef breeds through artificial insemination to improve the beef performance of local cattle, in response to the increasing demand for meat. Crossbreeding is promoted and implemented throughout the country, regardless of the various agro-ecological zones, each endowed with different feed resources in the smallholder farming systems. This study analyses the impact at farm level of crossbreeding in the different mixed farming conditions in Central Java. Quantitative and qualitative information was collected through participatory approaches involving famers (n = 252) in four study areas representing three agro-ecological zones: Wet lowlands (subdivided in two areas based on the history of breeding local cattle and crossbreeding), Wet uplands and Dry uplands. Phenotypic characteristics, reproductive performances, and carcass characteristics of Ongole and crossbred cattle were assessed, together with farmers’ reasons for keeping Ongole or crossbred breeding stock, the functions of cattle on the farms and the Gross Margins (GM) of the cattle component on Ongole and crossbred farms. Across different agro-ecological zones, crossbreeding is not changing the farming systems: herd sizes, farm types, experience in cattle keeping and functions of cattle were about the same for Ongole and crossbred farms. The agro-ecological zones differed in the cropping pattern and feed resources; however, they did not differ in amounts of dry matter and crude protein fed to individual animals. Crossbreeding is changing the individual characteristics of cattle and consequently the market prices of animals. In general, mature female crossbred cattle were approximately 25 percent heavier than mature female local cattle. Male crossbred progeny was 16 percent heavier their local counterparts, whereas female crossbred progeny was 24 percent heavier than female local cattle. In terms of reproduction performances, both local and crossbred cows performed well with calf crops ranging between 73 and 86 percent per year. Most farmers preferred crossbred over Ongole cattle. Simmental cross is the most preferred. GM for crossbred and Ongole farms were comparable within the different study areas; selling prices of crossbreds are higher, but feed costs too. Crossbreeding will continue. It is promoted by government policies and farmers are motivated to keep crossbred cattle as body weights and market prices are higher than for Ongole cattle; however, farmers said that they do not prefer upgrading to very high levels of Simmental. A viable Ongole population is needed to reduce the risk of upgrading to too high levels of Simmental.

Pashmina, internationally known as “cashmere”, a fine luxury fibre, is being produced from Changthangi goats bred in the Ladakh region of India. The Leh district of Greater Ladakh produces around 30 000 kg of pashmina fibre which is harvested from about 0.15 million Changthangi goats reared by the Changpa nomads in Changthang region of Greater Ladakh. Changthangi goats are sometimes also called Changra goats. Pashmina producing goats are of great importance for revitalising the economy of the poverty stricken region of Changthang and the Leh district of Ladakh. The information on Changthangi goats was collected from both small and large-scale farmers in Ladakh, and 337 animals were included in the study.

The body colour of Changthangi goats varies from white to light brown and nearly whole body is covered with pashmina and long hairs. The average birth weights of male and female kids were estimated as 2.11 ± 0.3 and 2.06 ± 0.2 kg, respectively while weight at 300 days was found to be 20.0 ± 2.1 and 18.7 ± 1.9 kg in male and females respectively.

The pashmina yields of bucks, does, male hoggets and female hoggets were estimated as 402 ± 19 g, 248 ± 14 g, 255 ± 12 and 280 ± 16 g, respectively. The length of pashmina fibre was found to be 4.25 ± 1.2 cm in males and 4.02 ± 1.5 cm in females while fibre diameter in male and female goats was estimated as 12.9 ± 2.6 μ and 13.0 ± 3.0 μ, respectively.

The twining rate was found to be very low, nearly 0.3%. A preliminary study at DNA level with PCR-RFLP indicated monomorphism at the growth hormone gene. The occurrence of disease was quite low although some genetic deformities in this breed were not uncommon.

In Egypt, there are three breeds of rabbits, Giza White, Baladi and Gabali. For Baladi rabbits, there are three strains; Baladi Red, Baladi White and Baladi Black, while Sinai Gabali and Desert Gabali are considered the two strains of Gabali rabbits. Giza White rabbits are usually called improved Giza or El-Giza El-Mohassan. These Egyptian rabbits are medium-sized breeds and used mainly for meat production. Giza White and Baladi rabbits are docile, while Gabali rabbits are moderately tractable. Origin, physical description, and census data for these Egyptian genetic resources were described. Also, they were characterized with regard to their performance (e.g. reproductive efficiency, lactational and maternal abilities, growth rate, feed conversion ratio, carcass traits and meat composition, hair and fur quality, etc.) and adaptability to heat stress.

India is a rich repository of goat genetic resources having 23 well-recognized goat breeds. These breeds have evolved through natural selection and selective breeding by rearers for adaptation to specific agro-ecological conditions. As the indigenous goat breeds of India display great variation in adaptability, productivity, feed utilization, disease resistance, etc. so conservation for unique characteristics of indigenous breeds are of great importance. The recognized breeds of Indian goat population are facing a greater threat due to lack of enforcement of proper breeding policy, inadequate number of breeding bucks, indiscriminate crossbreeding and intermixing among breeds with local animals etc. Considering the current population size, declining rate of population, loss of habitat and introduction of other breeds in the area, the threatened goat breeds are Jamunapari, Beetal, Jakhrana and Surti in the northwestern region, Sangamneri, Osmanabadi, Malabari and Attappady Black in the southern region, Ganjam in the eastern region, and Chegu and Changthangi in the temperate Himalayan region. Furthermore, the positions of several breeds are more or less vulnerable in their breeding tracts. Now, efforts have been made to conserve the indigenous goat breeds for their unique characteristics in their home tracts through in-situ and ex-situ conservation in different agroclimatic regions of India.

The need to provide policy-makers with succinct, yet informative, messages is widespread in biodiversity management, and has led to the development of various “indicators” that can serve this purpose. While global data on the status of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture (AnGR) have been made available in a number of publications, the issue of developing a global indicator for AnGR has come to prominence only relatively recently. This paper describes the policy background to these developments and reviews initiatives in AnGR indicator development at national and regional levels. It also outlines some of the issues raised at an expert meeting on indicators organized by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in January 2010. To date, AnGR indicator development has largely been restricted to Europe. Globally, options are restricted by the limited availability of data. The expert meeting favoured an indicator set that describes both the relative abundance of native versus non-native breeds and summarizes breed risk status. The former will require a new breed classification system that is acceptable to countries and applicable globally. The risk-status categories of approximately 64 percent of reported breeds are available in the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System, but a lack of regular updates of countries' breed population data means that trends cannot be described adequately at present.

A survey on Garole sheep was carried out in the breeding tract for breed characterization. Garole sheep are distributed in the Sundarban region of West Bengal in India. It is a small-sized breed known for its prolificacy and adaptation to the saline marshy land of the Sundarban region. It is believed that these sheep contributed to the prolificacy gene in Booroola Merino sheep of Australia. The breeding tract of Garole sheep falls under the Coastal Saline Zone of West Bengal and the climate of this region is hot and humid. The population of Garole sheep was 206 720 in 1994–1995. This breed is maintained by marginal farmers and landless labourers. Flocks are stationary and average flock size ranges from three to five. They graze on rice fallow land and natural grass cover on the roadsides and water channels. Garole sheep have the ability to graze in knee deep conditions in marshy land. Their colour is generally white. Some animals of black or brown colour are also seen. The male is generally horned and females are polled. They have three distinct types of ears; small, medium and long. Average adult weights in male and females are 15 and 12 kg, respectively. Twin and triplet births are common. The Garole sheep are reared for mutton production. Farmers generally do not shear wool. Fleece is of a coarse quality and is used as bedding material.

The reduction of genetic variability in beef cattle has been extensively researched on a global scale. However, the genetic variability and inbreeding of indigenous cattle breeds of Southern Africa, referred to as Sanga cattle, has been less well characterized. Breeds of Sanga cattle include Afrikaner, Drakensberger and Nguni breeds. In recent years, the number of Afrikaner cattle and herds has decreased. Our objective was to determine the mean level of inbreeding (F), effective population size (Ne) and generation intervals of Afrikaner cattle using their recorded pedigree. A total of 244 718 records extending from 1940 until 2011 were analysed. The average inbreeding coefficient was 1.83 percent and the effective population size was 167.54. The average generation interval was calculated as 6.6 ± 3.9 years. Pedigree analysis on the Afrikaner cattle population yielded levels of inbreeding that appear to be both acceptable and manageable. By implication, the large Ne results in a low rate of change in F. Current results study can be utilized by farmers and the breeders’ society to conserve the Afrikaner and utilize the breed to its full potential in the era of climate change.

The Mewari and Jaisalmeri breeds of camel are among the four major breeds of Indian camel. The Mewari breed is known for the production of milk and its adaptability to the hilly terrain of the Aravali hills in south Rajasthan whereas the Jaisalmeri breed is known for its riding and race potential. A total of 320 camels from 16 herds in eight villages belonging to three districts of the major breeding tract of the Mewari camel were covered. The population of the Mewari camel was estimated to be 16 221 heads with a 28% decline in the last five years. The extent of cross breeding was estimated to be 36%. The average adult Mewari camel had a 193 cm height at wither, 194 cm heart girth and 158 cm body length. Adult Mewari camels produce about 700 grams of hair per annum and the females produce 5–7 litres of milk per day. An integrated rotational grazing pasture development programme could be of great use in maintaining the Mewari camels with diverse livestock species under optimum production.

To define the status of the Jaisalmeri camel, an investigation encompassing 1 760 camel breeders belonging to the 181 villages distributed over the entire strata of the tract was carried out. The population of the Jaisalmeri camel was estimated to be 118 083 heads with a 31% decline in the last five years. An adult Jaisalmeri camel had a 199 cm height at wither, 211 cm heart girth and 156 cm body length. Adult males and females weighed 593 and 519 kg, respectively. Emphasis should be placed on making the breedable males of the breed available throughout the strata and on improving the utility of the breed for in-situ maintenance of genetic diversity in the breed.

The authors describe the evolution, morphological characteristics, body weights, body measurements and production performance of three indigenous cattle breeds in Bhutan, namely the Siri, Mithun cross Siri (Jatsha for male and Jatsham for female) and first backcross hybrids (Yangka for male and Yangkum for female). The data was collected through a sample survey which was conducted in Lobesa block of Thimphu district in April/May 1995 near the Natural Resources Training Institute (NRTI). Observations were recorded from 44 Siri (22 bulls and 22 cows), 10 Mithun cross Siri (5 Jatshas and 5 Jatshams) and 8 first backcross hybrids (5 Yangkas and 3 Yangkums). The aim of this breed description is to assist in developing the future conservation strategies of the indigenous breeds in Bhutan.

The aim of the project is to seek new and more reliable methodologies to survey morphological parameters in domestic animals. The study describes the traditional tools adopted until today in the field of Zoometry and reports the methods independently set up by different research units, now combined into a single one. The approach was different in different applications but based on the same basic steps: video or photo shooting, computerised scanner image processing, achievement of precise body measurements and evaluation of the animals. The accuracy of the system was compared with the body measurements obtained manually and the results gave maximum difference of 1.1%. When warm carcass percentage was estimated by body measurements the observed error was 2.5%. The advantages of these new techniques are considerable, in terms of both accuracy of measurements and capability to survey new morphological parameters such as angles and surfaces, which are presently not measurable. The potentialities of the methodologies discussed allow more exact criteria of evaluation for the domestic and wild animals also when they are in natural living conditions. Moreover, the way is now opened to an improvement of the image acquisition techniques to calculate a tridimensional matrix.

The Nilagiri sheep is a dual utility (fine wool and meat), native to the Nilagiri hills of Tamil Nadu. It is known for its adaptability to high altitude and low input system of rearing. At present, this breed is endangered with less than a thousand numbers existing, of which about 50 percent is maintained at Sheep Breeding Research Station, Sandynallah. Efforts are on to conserve the breed in-situ. Generation interval (GI), pedigree completeness level, inbreeding coefficient (F), average relatedness (AR), effective population size (Ne), and effective number of founders (fe) and ancestors (fa) were studied for the breed. Pedigree analysis was carried out using data available at the research station on 5 051 animals from 1965 onwards using ENDOG ver. 4.8. Higher values of pedigree completeness (more than 80 percent for 5th generation), balance in percent of ancestors between sire and dam pathways and higher equivalent complete generations (7.12) for the reference population were indicative of the depth in pedigree. The GI, F, and AR were 3.36 years, 2.17 and 3.45 percent, respectively. Ne based on maximum number of generations and individual increase in inbreeding was 298.83 and 97.25, respectively. fe and fa were 59 and 41, respectively, for the reference population. F was far from critical values of inbreeding and fe/fa ratio indicated absence of stringent bottlenecks. The effective population size was on the higher end of the range reported for endangered sheep breeds. The knowledge on genetic diversity and effective population size coefficients would support the cause of conservation.

Local breeds and minor species are hardy and able to thrive in harsh conditions. Their adaptive traits and unique characteristics (coloured wool or hides, extra-fine fibre, meat or milk with special tastes) offer opportunities for the marketing of speciality products and sustainable food production in marginal areas. This study discusses eight initiatives from Africa, Asia and Latin America that help communities to produce and market various products for niche markets: milk and dairy products from dromedaries; cashmere, wool and handicrafts from goats, sheep and Bactrian camels; and meat, meat products and handicrafts from goats and sheep. The main strategies were to seek new markets for existing or entirely new products (rather than trying to exploit existing markets). Most initiatives had some form of branding or labelling, and two had protected their products with geographical indications. Such marketing initiatives can be started with limited capital inputs but are skill and knowledge intensive. They require strong commitment to overcome seasonal fluctuations in production, the lack of infrastructure and services, and difficulties in institution building. But when well planned and carefully managed, they can help conserve breeds as well as provide a livelihood for people involved in the value chain, allowing actors earlier in the value chain – livestock keepers and small-scale processors – to capture a greater share of the value of the end product than they would by trying to serve a mass market.

The present study is a first step of a global project aiming at the estimation of the genetic distances and relationships among buffalo breeds and sub-populations and the investigation of the production potential and adaptability of different buffalo genotypes in various environments.

Genetic diversity of Italian and Greek buffalo populations was estimated on the basis of allele frequencies at nine polymorphic microsatellite loci: CSSM43, CSSM38, DRB3, D21S4, CYP21, CSSM47, CSSM60, CSSM36 and CSSM33. The number of detected alleles per locus varied from two (D21S4) to thirteen (CSSM47). Allele frequency distribution was similar in the two populations, which have the same alleles at the highest frequency at all loci, except loci CSSM47 and CSSM60. Average gene diversity over all loci was 0.60. Across-loci average gene diversity increased with the number of alleles. Observed average heterozygosity was 0.167 and 0.177 in the Italian and Greek populations, respectively. The degree of differentiation between Italian and Greek buffalo was moderate and estimated at 0.021 ± 0.009.

Six lines of laying chickens representing high-producing non-industrial lines chosen or produced with consideration for characters of production are being kept at the Agassiz Research Centre. The collection includes one Barred Plymouth Rock (Line 60), one Columbian Plymouth Rock, one Rhode Island Red (Line 50), and three White Leghorn lines (Blue, Black, and Burgundy). Before coming to the Agassiz Research Centre these pure lines were subjected to mild selection for egg production and their egg production approaches that of commercial hybrids. The lines are currently maintained as a genetic resource as live populations without selection and with populations large enough to minimize inbreeding. In addition, samples of DNA from these lines have been conserved for genetic studies, and samples of embryonic cells are being kept cryogenically to allow the possibility of reconstitution of the lines through the production of germline chimeras. Techniques of ovarian transplantation are being developed which will allow more efficient cryogenic conservation and recuperation of the genetic material into live populations.

The Australasian Merino population has declined significantly over the last 15 years in response to a decline in the price of apparel wool, both in absolute terms and relative to the price of sheep meat. Over the same period, a national genetic evaluation system based on BLUP methods has been introduced, that is achieving steady growth in adoption by breeders. Genetic parameter estimates for the population provide evidence for considerable genetic diversity for all recorded traits, providing ample opportunity for genetic improvement. More recently, there is considerable evidence for increasingly rapid progress, both in fleece traits and a range of meat production and adaptation traits. The Merino population is evolving towards two broad types – one focused on high quality apparel wools finer than 19 µm and used in enterprises with a wool/meat income ratio of about 3:1, and the other a more dual-purpose animal producing 19–21 µm wool and an enterprise wool/meat income ratio between 1.5:1 and 1:1. Underlying these trends is a growing focus on adaptation traits including worm resistance; reduced need for veterinary interventions; and increased early growth, fertility and mothering ability. Together these trends point to increasingly ‘easy-care’ sheep and exploitation of the available genetic diversity to rapidly increase profitability.

The study was conducted to investigate the phenotypic diversity of Guajolote present in small backyard poultry operations. From September 2004 to July 2006, in 54 municipalities in the coastal region of Oaxaca, Mexico 768 “guajalotes” growers were visited. Eleven different phenotypes of Guajolote, previously described as turkey varieties, have been identified. The phenotypes identified and their frequency are: Bronze (30.1%), Black (29.0%), Royal Palm (13.4%), Auburn (5.3%), Bourbon Red (5.2%), Narragancet (2.6%), Spotted (2.4%), Brown (2.2%), Slate (1.7%), White (1.5%) and Imperfect Albino (0.2%). The remainder (6.4%) were not identified as a phenotype previously described. This is the first report about the phenotypic differentiation of Guajolote in Mexico.

Numerous threats to animal genetic resources for food and agriculture (AnGR) have been described in the literature. Yet knowledge regarding the threats facing particular breeds and production systems is patchy and often unavailable to relevant stakeholders. Lack of knowledge about threats often goes hand in hand with a more general lack of knowledge about the characteristics, use, management and distribution of livestock breeds. The study of threats should be an integral part of national surveying and monitoring strategies for AnGR. Field surveys are an opportunity to draw upon the knowledge of livestock keepers and other local stakeholders and to map breed distributions. Insights from the field should be integrated, together with information on economic trends, policy developments and the distribution of risks associated with epidemics and other disasters, into a broader understanding of threats. If a large-scale survey of stakeholder opinion is envisaged, it is important to be clear about the objectives of the exercise when designing any classification framework to be used for data collection and analysis. Analysis of threats should aim not only to record the presence or absence of particular threats but also to provide a better understanding of their spatial and temporal dynamics and how they are affected by context (location, production environment, human attitudes and objectives, etc.).

The small East African short horned Zebu (SEAZ) is an important source of animal protein in Kenya. This indigenous genotype is well adapted to environmental stresses including endemic diseases of the tropics. However, literature available on its genetic potential is scarce. The Government of Kenya, in order to study this valuable germplasm in a systematic manner, has recently initiated some research and breed improvement programmes. This paper reports on some of the results of this work. Information was obtained-using a structured questionnaire administered to 430 farmers in Makueni, Kitui, Taita Taveta and Kajiado districts, Kenya. A multi-level stratified sampling technique was used to select the farmers to be interviewed. Utilization and reasons for preference of SEAZ cattle differed across and within districts in rankings. Generally, the SEAZ cattle are kept as multi-purpose animals and were mainly preferred to the exotic breeds due to their superior adaptive capacity to the local environmental stresses. Herd structures differed between the agro-pastoral and pastoral herds, but showed a management system that is subsistence oriented with milk production and draught power being the main objectives of herd owners. Breeding bulls were sourced from within or obtained from other herds for pure- or crossbreeding by natural, uncontrolled mating. Natural pastures, under continuous grazing were the main source of livestock feeds. The herds surveyed had advanced ages at first calving and prolonged calving intervals. The average milk production per day was 1.6 litres with significant differences being observed between districts, and hence Zebu strains, at the start and peak of lactation.

A survey was conducted in order to investigate what motives farmers have to utilize one of the old, native cattle breeds in Norway, Blacksided Trønder and Nordland Cattle (STN). The questionnaire, which was sent to 1 772 farmers who inseminated with the STN breed from 1987 to 1997, revealed clear opinions on the differences between this breed and the predominant breed of the country, the Norwegian Cattle (NRF).

The farms in the survey were characterized by having herd sizes above the national average, as well as having owners interested in extensive farming and to a certain extent aware of the special breeding challenges of small populations. The results showed that the STN breed was regarded as being significantly different for traits that may be considered as important in extensive production systems. The more idealistic motives linked to the genetic resources aspect showed a high priority.

The survey also revealed an obvious need for more research and objective information about this old native breed.