Poisoning In Ethiopia Essay

MAJOR POISONOUS PLANTS THAT AFFECT LIVESTOCKS

Diverse herbaceous and woody species of plants are known to exist in different parts of the world. However, some of the plant species have a potential to cause poisoning to livestock and humans. Livestock poisoning by certain toxic plants is one of major economic losses to the livestock industries throughout the world (Panter et al., 2007). Poisoning is usually associated with management errors, lack of forage due to range conditions, drought, and other events that would cause Livestock to consume vegetation normally unacceptable. Various species and classes of livestock are reported to be affected by toxic plants particularly in the dry and early rainy seasons when feed is in short supply. Poisonous plants that are described in this paper are commonly found in Ethiopia. Notable major toxic plants of livestock importance are listed as follows (Cook et al., 2009).

2.1 Lantana camara

Lantana camara is an ornamental or wild, vigorous shrub with stout recurred prickles and a strong odor of black currents; it grows to 1.2-2.4 meters (or even more); its root system is very strong, and it gives out a new flush of shoots even after

Signs of lantana poisoning depend on the amount and type of lantana consumed and the intensity of sunlight to which the animals have been exposed. Signs can appear after one feed and, in acute cases, within 24 hours. Poisoned animals may show signs of: excessive skin sensitivity to sunlight (photosensitization) ,liver damage ,yellow discoloration (jaundice) of the whites of the eyes and gums, and skin of the nose and mouth ,reddening and inflammation of unpigmented (white) skin; muzzle may become inflamed, moist, ulcerated and very painful (pink nose) and slough (fall off) ,reddening and discharge from the eyes (conjunctivitis) ,ulceration of the tip and under surface of the tongue (Sharma and Raghubanshi,