![]() ![]() Elephants and other wildlife damage fences, vaccine programs are not always adequate, and people move cattle into areas they are not supposed to- noting that cattle can also spread the virus themselves. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of wild animals have died due to the veterinary fences since their construction.įurthermore, over time the fences have not always kept the virus at bay, despite the original intent. The most common type of fence has multiple wire strands as well as a steel cable just high enough to keep a baby elephant from crossing or for a giraffe to get fatally tangled in. Many species of wildlife have also been entangled in fences, where they eventually die from dehydration, starvation or poaching. While the fences were initially effective in reducing such transmission, they created problems for wildlife by interrupting ancient migration routes wild populations have relied upon to access grazing and water sources across the seasons. Over 10,000 kilometers of veterinary fences have been erected in southern Africa since the 1950s in order to separate wild and domesticated animals to reduce the risk of disease transmission. In Botswana and neighboring countries that together comprise the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA- Botswana, Angola, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe), the balance between maintaining livestock-oriented livelihoods and conserving wildlife runs a thin line- a fence to be exact. The African buffalo is the natural reservoir host for the virus, and currently there is no practical way to eradicate FMD from areas where buffalos live. ![]() Outbreaks of foot and mouth disease have occurred around the world, and have resulted in the culling of millions of animals to contain outbreaks and protect livestock industries in Europe and elsewhere. The virus does does not normally infect people, but in animals it can cause blisters on the gums, tongue and feet that may eventually lead to lameness and an inability to eat, and a loss of meat and milk production. ![]() In Botswana, a landlocked country in southern Africa where cattle production comprises 80 per cent of agricultural gross domestic product, foot and mouth disease (FMD) has negatively impacted the livestock and wildlife sectors since the late 1950s, when beef exports were expanded in the days of colonial rule.įoot and mouth disease is a viral disease that affects cattle, goats and other cloven-hoofed animals. According to the World Bank, more than 1.3 billion people globally rely on small scale livestock production for their livelihoods and nutrition. ![]()
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