Fetal Wastages Among Food-producing Animals Slaughtered at Maiduguri Abattoir: Prevalence, Causes and Economic Implications

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the occurrence of fetal wastage and its economic implications using a seven-year (2014 – 2020) retrospective  Maiduguri abattoir records. A semi-structured questionnaire was also administered to butchers on the reasons for slaughtering of  pregnant animals. Economic losses were also estimated. Of the 287563 female animals slaughtered during the study period, 53 797  (18.7%) fetal wastages were recorded with species-specific prevalences of 12% (n=10137), 9.5% (n=33458), 17.4% (n=13442) and 28.3%  (n=26760) for calves, camel calves, lambs, and kids respectively. There was statistically significant association (p< 0.05) between season,  species of slaughtered food-producing animals and the occurrence of fetal wastage. About N2.889 billion ($3,675,771), N985.5 million  ($1,253,884.5), N1.277 billion ($1,624,344) and N762.660 million ($971,120.4) for cattle, camel, sheep and goat respectively were lost, that  could have accrued if the fetuses have survived and reached market value as adults. Additionally, 1 213 380 kg of beef, 397 485 kg of  camel meat, 357 560 kg of mutton and 564 368.4 kg of chevon valued at N3, 640,140,000 ($4,610,844), N1, 192,455,000 ($1,510,443), N1,  251,460,000 ($1,609,020) and N1, 975,289,400 ($2,539,657.8) respectively were also lost. Majority of the factors leading to the slaughter of pregnant food-producing animals were disease conditions, economic hardship, ignorance of the pregnancy status of the animal and feed  scarcity during dry season. Therefore, it is imperative to reduce this practice through proper screening test, advocacy and public  enlightenment campaigns for the need of pregnancy status assessment using an affordable, user-friendly rapid test kits at farms,  livestock markets and abattoirs.