Ethno-veterinary practices for ephemeral fever of Yak: A participatory assessment by the Monpa tribe of Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

High altitude habitat of yak (Poephagus grunniens L.) remains covered with snow for 5-6 months in a year, and it is considered that yak’s natural environment is almost quarantine in disease free zone. But due to the change of socio-economic scenario of pastoral community, yaks are being reared with cattle in semi pastoral system. As a result incidence of almost all the common ailments and diseases of cattle has been reported in the yak tracks of India. For some diseases and ailments they adopted vaccination practices and for some they still depended on their traditional knowledge. Ephemeral fever is one of them for which they depend on different ethnoveterinary practices. In this paper, an attempt has been made how Monpa tribe of Arunachal Pradesh used different ethno-veterinary practices applicable against the ephemeral fever. Sociometry and Quantification of Indigenous Knowledge (QuIk) is applied for documentation and validation of ethno-veterinary practices. It is found that The Monpas are using seven ethno-veterinary practices against ephemeral fever. Out of these seven Thalictrum foliosum is found most significant practices.