We learned that there are about 75 vet schools in India. The schools run 5-year programs (post high school). WBVC is 100 years old and currently undergoing remodeling. The college has 60 professors.
The WBVC vet program takes 16 students per year. They have a total of 300 students in both undergrad and grad programs. At WBVC, all the veterinary students do a dual degree -- Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry. WBVC also has a research center in the Sunderbans for breeding hardier, more productive Black Bengal Goats.
We learned from Dr. Samanta that in West Bengal, there is not a strong market for private sector veterinarians, because the production from each animal is minimal. Also, each household has only 2-3 goats, so there’s no large scale production from which a vet can make a living.
The heat and humidity of West Bengal make animal husbandry and production difficult. This makes it hard for villagers to realize a return from resources spent trying to increase animal production. So, little effort is made to improve production.
Even though the production is low per animal, in West Bengal there are so many animals that total milk and meat production is some of the highest in India per square kilometer. The villagers in West Bengal depend totally on their animals and need veterinary care.
The WBVC Nutritionist reiterated that animal meat production is higher in West Bengal than in any other state in India. Only about half of Indians are vegetarian, and West Bengal is one of the highest meat-consuming states. There are 20 million cows in West Bengal. And lots of sheep. Galor is most common domestic sheep breed in West Bengal; it’s a dual purpose breed (meat and wool). It has 2-3 offspring per year and is hardy in water-logged conditions which are common in west Bengal.
There’s not much grazing land in West Bengal, so most cows are fed dry fodder like hay, and when possible, one percent concentrates of rice, corn, and some oils. Poultry are fed 100 percent concentrates with mineral additives. West Bengal grows predominantly rice, so for the chicken’s requirement of corn and soybeans, the villagers would have to import grains and brans. Fish are also raised in West Bengal. Five percent of fish farmers feed their fish concentrates. The rest feed them scraps.
We learned from the WBVC Parasitologist, Professor J. D. Ghosh, that all the major parasite species are the same the ones we’ve learned about and dealt with in the USA. The prevalence for Spirocerca Lupi and Hydadit cyst disease is a lot higher here in West Bengal than in other parts of India, and of course the USA.
We learned from veterinary student, Munmun De, that the tigers at the zoo are vaccinated for distemper because of the risk created by association with domestic cats. The tigers are also vaccinated for trypanosomiasis. This is the basis for our interested in working to vaccinate dogs in villages like Pakhiralaya.
No comments:
Post a Comment