2 week old water buffalo with caretaker at the the Faculty of
Veterinary Medicine
at Moshtohor village Toukh, Egypt
A Situation Analysis for the Improvement of the Management and Veterinary Medical Care of Water Buffaloes in the Nile Delta Region of Egypt
The water buffalo plays a major role in the rural agricultural practices in Egypt as well as in many other developing countries. This study focused on issues that impact the management and veterinary care of water buffaloes in the Nile delta region of Egypt. The goal of this study was to conduct a situation analysis for the improvement of the management and veterinary medical treatment of the water buffalo in this region. The study utilized interviews with local farmers, veterinarians, and veterinary medical educators. A journal was kept to document personal observations and pictures were taken of water buffaloes in different conditions. Present day use and treatment of these animals was also compared to their utilization in more ancient times through visiting the Agricultural Museum of Cairo and library research in an attempt to gauge changes in the use of and attitude towards this animal. The goal of this survey was to help us to find ways to improve the health care and mangement of the water buffaloes in this region as well as suggest ways to implement these changes in Egypt.
* Special thanks to the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation for their funding which allowed
me to
pursue this project and to A.Y.M. Nour, DVM, MS, PhD Director of
International Programs
Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine for his mentorship. I
also appreciate all the help that I received from Dr. Hosam El-Attar, Dean of the Faculty
of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University,
Moshtohor, Egypt. Thanks are due to Prof. Mahamed Saleh and his family for thier
hospitality and to Dr. Mohammed Gouda Abdelwahab for escorting me around the villages of
Egypt.