The West African Dwarf is a large and variable

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

or group of breeds of

domestic goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

from coastal

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

and

Central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, ...

, a range extending approximately from

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

to Congo. It is characterised by

achondroplasia Achondroplasia is a genetic disorder with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance whose primary feature is dwarfism. In those with the condition, the arms and legs are short, while the torso is typically of normal length. Those affected ha ...

or dwarfism, a trait that may have evolved in response to conditions in the humid forests of the area, and also by some degree of resistance to

tsetse Tsetse ( , or ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies), are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus ''Glossina'', which are placed in their own family, Glo ...

-borne

trypanosomiasis Trypanosomiasis or trypanosomosis is the name of several diseases in vertebrates caused by parasitic protozoan trypanosomes of the genus ''Trypanosoma''. In humans this includes African trypanosomiasis and Chagas disease. A number of other diseas ...

or "sleeping-sickness". There are many regional strains or breeds within the group; other names for the group as a whole include African Dwarf, Djallonké or Fouta Jallon, Grassland Dwarf or Chèvre Naine des Savanes, Guinean or Guinean Dwarf, Forest Goat and Pygmy.

History

The West African Dwarf is a traditional breed of West and Central Africa. Its dwarf characteristics may have evolved as a response to conditions in the humid forests of the area. The goats have at various times been exported to European countries and to the United States, initially as zoo animals or for laboratory research. Several breeds derive from these imports, among them the

American Pygmy The American Pygmy is an American breed of achondroplastic goat. It is small, compact and stockily built. Like the Nigerian Dwarf, it derives from the West African Dwarf group of breeds of West Africa. Between 1930 and 1960, animals of this ...

and

Nigerian Dwarf The Nigerian Dwarf is an American breed of dwarf goat. Like the American Pygmy Goat, it derives from the West African Dwarf group of breeds of West Africa. History Between about 1930 and 1960 a variety of small goats of the West African Dw ...

in the United States, the

Pygmy In anthropology, pygmy peoples are ethnic groups whose average height is unusually short. The term pygmyism is used to describe the phenotype of endemic short stature (as opposed to disproportionate dwarfism occurring in isolated cases in a pop ...

in the United Kingdom, the Dutch Dwarf or Nederlandse Dwerggeit in the Netherlands, and the Tibetana in Italy.

Characteristics

The West African Dwarf goat is

achondroplastic Achondroplasia is a genetic disorder with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance whose primary feature is dwarfism. In those with the condition, the arms and legs are short, while the torso is typically of normal length. Those affected h ...

, with a typical height of . Adult males weigh and females . Both sexes have horns, which curve outwards and backwards in males. Males also have beards and sometimes manes. Characteristics include a relatively long neck, broad chest, and straight back. Legs are short and the udder is small but generally well-shaped. Most have short stiff hair, and colour varies; dark brown with black points is probably the most common, but black, red, white, pied, and multi-coloured goats also occur. There are numerous regional breeds or strains within the overall West African Dwarf grouping. These include the

Cameroon Dwarf Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in West Africa, west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the nor ...

in Cameroon, the Casamance in Senegal, the Côte d'Ivoire Dwarf in

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

, the Djougry or Chèvre Nain de l'Est in Mauritania, the Ghan Forest in Ghana, the Kirdi in the north of Cameroon and in the south of Chad, the Kosi in Cameroon and the Nigerian Dwarf in Nigeria. In Burkina Faso and Togo, the Fouta Djallon or Djallonké sub-group includes traditional strains including the Bath, the Kanem, the Kebbi, the Lac, the Massakori, the Mayo and the Mossi.

Use

West African Dwarf goats are important in the rural village economy of West Africa. Nigerian West African Dwarf goats are trypanotolerant (they resist to infections by ''

Trypanosoma ''Trypanosoma'' is a genus of kinetoplastids (class Trypanosomatidae), a monophyletic group of unicellular parasitic flagellate protozoa. Trypanosoma is part of the phylum Sarcomastigophora. The name is derived from the Greek ''trypano-'' (bore ...

'') and haemonchotolerant (they resist infections with the gastrointestinal

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

nematode The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-Parasitism, parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhab ...

Haemonchus contortus ''Haemonchus contortus'', also known as the barber's pole worm, is a very common parasite and one of the most pathogenic nematodes of ruminants. Adult worms attach to abomasal mucosa and feed on the blood. This parasite is responsible for anemia ...

'' more effectively than other breeds of domestic goat). West African Dwarf goats are capable of breeding at twelve to eighteen months. Multiple births are very common, with twins being normal and triplets frequent. The kidding interval averages about 220 days. These goats are typically kept as livestock by families who harvest or sell the milk and meat.

References

{{Reflist, 45em, refs= Barbara Rischkowsky, D. Pilling (eds.) (2007)
List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources
annex t
''The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture''
Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. {{ISBN, 9789251057629. Accessed January 2017. Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016)
''Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding''
(sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. {{ISBN, 9781780647944. .n.(1979)
''Trypanotolerant Livestock in West & Central Africa''
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: International Livestock Centre for Africa; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; United Nations Environment Programme. R. T. Wilson (1991)
''Small Ruminant Production and the Small Ruminant Genetic Resource in Tropical Africa''
Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. {{isbn, 9789251029985. Goat breeds Meat goat breeds Agriculture in Africa Agriculture in Sierra Leone

History

Characteristics

Use

See also

References