The Socioeconomic Value of Rearing Different Ecotype of Donkeys (Equus asinus) in South Darfur State, Sudan

Abstract

The current study was designed to investigate the frequency of different ecotypes (breeds) of donkeys as well as to assess the social role and economic value of donkeys keeping in Nyala (South Darfur State, Sudan). Detailed structural questionnaire was designed and personal interview with respondent donkey owners (n=105) was carried out for data collection. Derawi and Rifawi ecotypes and their hybrids were observed as 78.09, 20.08 and 1.90%, respectively. The most frequent eyes and coat colors were brown (57.32%) and grey (65.86%), and brown (80.95%) and white (90.48%) among Derawi and Rifawi ecotypes, respectively. Keeping donkeys is of great social role and effective economic value in the area of the study. It provides job opportunities, diversified source of income and represents important dragging power resource used in different activities. Moreover, the price of distinguished riding donkey reached up to 10000 SDG, thus riding such donkey is of magnificent social value. Nevertheless, owners in the study area lack basic husbandry and reproduction information which reflected in poor management. More oriented research, combined with intensive extension work to better characterization indigenous donkeys� ecotypes (breeds) and to increase the awareness of owners, is highly recommended