TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF PLANT USED IN MANAGING THE HEALTH STATUS OF RUMINANT ANIMALS IN EKITI-STATE, SOUTHWESTERN, NIGERIA.

                                                                                                       ABSRTACT

Field studies were conducted to investigate the medicinal plants used in managing health status of ruminant animals in the three senatorial districts of Ekiti-State, Nigeria. Semi-structured Questionnaires, personal  and group interviews were used to obtain information from a total of 300 respondents. The results show  that a total of 52 botanicals belonging to 29 families were used in treating different ailments affecting ruminant animals in the study area. It was observed that 44 of the botanicals were described as being abundant. The abundance of the botanicals was due to their being cultivated for various uses that included erosion control, provision of shade, wind break, boundary demarcation, animal fodder among others. Various sources at which the identified plants were derived ranged from forest area, that constituted the primary source, to common areas, household farms, household areas  while some were  purchased.  Thus, 60 %  of the plants  species were found at the primary source and this form the highest among the various sources. The type of plants found in a location is dependent on the geographical vegetation of the location. Plants were easily found and relatively available at the forest vegetation than savanna areas. Eight out of all the botanicals were endangered. Thus, the examination of the initial growth of the endangered species revealed that plants the plants have relatively slow growth and poor survival rate. Thus conservation measures that could ensure sustainable availability of those species were proposed.

Key words: Botanicals, conservation, forest, endangered