Norwegian dairy goats thrive in African mountains

Eighty Norwegian dairy goats were flown into Tanzania thirty years ago. Now there are 300,000 goats with genes from these founder animals on dairy farms in mountainous areas.

Tanzania's Uluguru Mountains are a green paradise, with verdant slopes that rise over 2,600 metres. But now, not far from forests populated with yellow baboons, blue monkeys and black-and-white colobus monkeys, you'll find goats of Norwegian ancestry in the mountain towns of this East African country.

The goats live on steep terraced hills planted with corn, bananas and coffee, at altitudes that would be barren and rocky in Scandinavia. They are a result of a long-term Norwegian-Tanzanian research partnership aimed at boosting small-scale milk production. The partnership has helped many farmers diversify and has yielded tangible benefits.

Is bison healthier than beef

With a strong prevailing perception that it is healthier, bison's popularity is exploding. 

Not bad for an animal that was almost extinct just a century ago.

5 Reasons to Eat Bison:

1. It is taster than beef and richer in flavor.
2. It is simply healthier than regular cow beef.   It is lower in saturated fat than regular cow beef.
3.Bison is a great source of nutrients, it has the basics: zinc, niacin, iron, vitamin B6 and selenium.  A quick review of some important things these nutrients do:
Selenium – helps prevent cellular damage from free radical.
Zinc- does a lot- helps immune system, hair and skin health and overall cell function
Niacin helps convert food into energy for the body – all at the cellular level
Iron- carries oxygen through the body
B6- tons of value of for physical and even mental health.

4.  Bison cattle are not handled like cows.  They are mostly living in a freer environment compared to cow/cattle.  Although there are many cattle  farms that treat the cows humanly, bison seem to be cared for like the elite class of the farm.

5.  Bison is one of the leanest meats and still has a lot of protein.  But it is the amount of protein you get in bison meat, without the saturated fat  that makes this a great alternative to regular beef.

Types of Dairy Cows

Each breed gives a slightly different milk product that varies in nutrient content (i.e. protein and vitamins). 

There are five common breeds of dairy cows:

Brown Swiss: Believed to have originated in the Alps of Switzerland, these hardy animals are tolerant of harsh climate and produce large quantities of milk, close behind the Holsteins. Officially recognized as a breed in the U.S. in 1906, the first small group of cows arrived here in 1869. Though few animals were actually imported, this hasn't stopped their steady growth in number, and today, the Brown Swiss are very important members of the dairy industry. Average output is 21,000lbs./9525kg (~2450 gallons) of milk per cycle with 4.0% butterfat, 3.5% total protein.

Guernsey: As their name suggests, these cows hail from the British Isle of Guernsey in the English Channel. Well-bred by monks from select French Norman/Breton cattle lines (Alderneys from Normandy, Froment du Leons from Brittany), the first to arrive in the U.S. were brought by ship in 1840. Guernseys are small, about three-fifths the size of a Holstein, but produce up to 14,700lbs./6,350kg (~1700 gallons) milk with 4.5% butterfat, 3.5% total protein each cycle.

Holstein-Friesian: Originally bred in Northern Germany, and the North Holland/Friesland regions of the Netherlands. These familiar black and white cows were selectively bred to make large quantities of milk from the area's most abundant natural food source- grass.
First brought to the U.S. in the late 1850's, their ready adaptibility, and economic production of large volumes of milk relative to other cows has made them common on dairies worldwide. Figures for average milk output range up to 28,000lbs./12,700kg (~3260 gallons) per cycle, with 2.5-3.6% butterfat, 3.2% total protein.

Jersey: Developed on Britain's Isle of Jersey, close to the Isle of Guernsey just off the coast of France. With a history as a pure breed that dates back several hundred years, they are descendants of stock from the French region of Normandy.
The 1850's saw the arrival of the first Jersey's in the U.S. Like the Guernsey, they, too, are small, but produce relatively large amounts of milk- on average, 16,000lbs./7,260kg (~1860 gallons) per cycle, with a high butterfat content of 4.9%, total protein 3.7%.

Milking Shorthorn: Part of the Shorthorn cattle breed originally developed for beef in Britain, descendants of these moderate producers were bred and selected for milk rather than meat. Arriving in the U.S. in 1783, the first mulit-purpose Milking Shorthorns provided the early settlers with not only milk, but meat and pulling power as well. A typical cow produces 15,400lbs./6,990kg (~1880 gallons) of milk per cycle with a butterfat content of 3.8%, total protein 3.3%.

White rhinoceros

The southern #white #rhino is a major conservation success – but with only four #animals remaining, the northern white #rhino is very close to disappearing from the wild.

Together with the greater one-horned rhino, the white rhino is the largest of all rhino species. Its name comes from the Dutch "weit" (wide), in reference to the #animal's wide muzzle. It is also known as the square-lipped rhinoceros due to its squared (not pointed) upper lip.

Compared to black rhinos, white rhinos have a longer skull, a less sharply defined forehead and a more pronounced shoulder hump. They have almost no hair and two horns. The front horn averages 60 cm, but occasionally reaches 150 cm in length.

Size: 150-185 cm in height, females weigh 1,400-1,700 kg, males weigh 2,000-3,600 kg

White rhinos appear to require thick bush cover, relatively flat terrain, water for drinking and wallowing, and short grass for grazing. They primarily inhabit grassy savanna and woodlands interspersed with grassy clearings.

The ainmals tend to avoid the heat during the day, when they rest in the shade. They are usually active in the early morning, late afternoon and evening. 

During very hot periods, the cool and rid themselves of ectoparasites (external parasites) by bathing in mud in shallow pools. Adult males can spend almost their entire life in these areas, unless water is unavailable, in which case they follow a narrow corridor to a drinking site every 3-4 days.

Breeding females are prevented from leaving a dominant's male territory, which is marked and and patrolled by its owner on a regular basis. Males competing for a female may engage in serious conflict, using their horns to inflict wounds.

Females reach sexual maturity at 4-5 years of age but do not reproduce until they reach 6-7 years. In contrast, males tend not to mate until they are 10-12 years old. They can live up to 40 years.

Breeding pairs may stay together for up to 20 days. Mating occurs throughout the year although peaks have been observed from October to December in South Africa and from February to June in East Africa. The gestation period is approximately 16 months with a period of 2-3 years between calves.

White rhinos are the only grazer of all rhino species, feeding almost exclusively on short grasses.

Demand for Dorper sheep rises in East Africa

A rise in demand for #Dorper #sheep as a source of #meat across East Africa in recent years is putting pressure on #breeders.

From the flat plains of Kajiado, Laikipia and Naivasha in Kenya to the lowlands of Tanzania, the demand for Dorper breeding #sheep has been rising over the last few years.

 The Dorper sheep has increasingly become a breed of choice for many #farmers in the country, mainly due to rising demand for its low-fat quality #meat.
“Dorper sheep do well on natural pastures although #farmers may offer supplementary feeding during scarcity or based on nutritional requirements. They are hardy and will perform well in low ecological zones,” noted Ole-Sein, the proprietor of the 1,700-acre Rimpa Estates in Kiserian.

According to Ole-Sein, a breeding #ram currently costs between US$313 to US$500 with ewes selling from US$125 to US$188, underscoring the increased monetary value of the dorper to #farmers across Kenya.“We breed rams and then dispose them to farmers for breeding purposes. Demand for #rams is quite high across the country,” observed #livestock production officer Cleopas Wahome.

 “Demand for breeding ewes has been rising far beyond the supply. Farmers from neighbouring countries such as Tanzania have been flocking the country looking for ewes,” observed Kone Ole-Sein, a Dorper farmer from Kajiado County and also the national secretary of the Dorper Breeders' Society of Kenya, an umbrella body that brings together corporate and individual farmers.

African Elephant

African elephants are the largest land #animals on Earth. They are slightly larger than their Asian cousins and can be identified by their larger ears that look somewhat like the continent of Africa. (Asian elephants have smaller, rounded ears.)

Elephant ears radiate heat to help keep these large animals cool, but sometimes the African heat is too much. Elephants are fond of water and enjoy showering by sucking water into their trunks and spraying it all over themselves. Afterwards, they often spray their skin with a protective coating of dust.

An elephant's trunk is actually a long nose used for smelling, breathing, trumpeting, drinking, and also for grabbing things—especially a potential meal. The trunk alone contains about 100,000 different muscles. African elephants have two fingerlike features on the end of their trunk that they can use to grab small items. (Asian elephants have one.)

Both male and female African elephants have tusks they use to dig for food and water and strip bark from trees. Males use the tusks to battle one another, but the ivory has also attracted violence of a far more dangerous sort.

Because ivory is so valuable to some humans, many elephants have been killed for their tusks. This trade is illegal today, but it has not been completely eliminated, and some African elephant populations remain endangered.

Elephants eat roots, grasses, #fruit, and bark, and they eat a lot of these things. An adult elephant can consume up to 300 pounds (136 kilograms) of #food in a single day.

These hungry #animals do not sleep much, and they roam over great distances while foraging for the large quantities of food that they require to sustain their massive bodies.

Female elephants (cows) live in family herds with their young, but adult males (bulls) tend to roam on their own.

Having a baby elephant is a serious commitment. Elephants have a longer pregnancy than any other #mammal—almost 22 months. #Cows usually give birth to one calf every two to four years. At birth, elephants already weigh some 200 pounds (91 kilograms) and stand about 3 feet (1 meter) tall.

African elephants, unlike their Asian relatives, are not easily domesticated. They range throughout sub-Saharan Africa and the rain forests of central and West Africa. The continent’s northernmost elephants are found in Mali’s Sahel desert. The small, nomadic herd of Mali elephants migrates in a circular route through the desert in search of water.