%0 Journal Article
%T Medicinal animals used in ethnoveterinary practices of the 'Cariri Paraibano', NE Brazil
%A Wedson MS Souto
%A Jos¨¦ S Mour£¿o
%A Raynner RD Barboza
%A L¨ªvia ET Mendon£¿a
%A Reinaldo FP Lucena
%A Maine VA Confessor
%A Washington LS Vieira
%A Paulo FGP Montenegro
%A Luiz CS Lopez
%A R£¿mulo RN Alves
%J Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1746-4269-7-30
%X The information obtained through semi-structured interviews was complemented by free interviews and informal conversations. A total of 67 people were interviewed (53 men and 14 women) about the use and commercialization of medicinal animals. To determine the relative importance of each local known species, their use-values (UV) were calculated. Diversity of species utilized was compared, between localities, using rarefaction curves and diversity estimate (Chao2)A total of 44 animal species (37 vertebrates and 7 invertebrates), distributed among 6 taxonomic categories were found to be used to treat 30 different ailments in livestock and pets. The results of our surveys revealed a rich traditional knowledge of local residents about the use of animals in traditional veterinary medicine. Although it is gradually being discontinued, the perceived efficacy, economic and geographic accessibility were main reasons for popularity of zootherapy in studied areas.Animal husbandry is an economic activity closely linked to the needs of local consumption and trade, which significantly influences the political, social and economic contexts in Latin America [1]. The occupation of Brazil by Europeans (especially in the northeastern region) starting in the first half of the 16th century was marked by the transmigration of numerous elements of the European fauna and flora [2], including cattle, goats and horses [3]. The importance of livestock to the occupation and settlement of the Brazilian semi-arid region by European colonists was synthesized by Darcy Ribeiro [4] as follows: 'The first settlements raised cattle, goats and people: the cattle to sell, the goats to eat and the people to migrate (further inland)'.Through the centuries, the local descendants of Amerindians, Africans, and Europeans learned to use the native natural resources of the Caatinga (dryland) biome but also imported resources from the Old World to use in treating illnesses or infirmities in themselves and their l
%U http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/7/1/30