Pattern of animal ownership in the Nsukka local government area of the Anambra State in Nigeria

Abstract

Investigation of the pattern of animal ownership in the Nsukka local government area of the Anambra State in Southern Nigeria, revealed that 63.00 % of all the sampled families (i.e. the tested population) kept animals. In this population, the percentage of animal owners in the illiterate, semi-literate and literate families was 85.55, 51.36 and 49.14 % respectively. One thousand two hundred and forty randomly chosen families were sampled in this study. In the tested population, goats, chickens and dogs were the most popular animals in this order of preference. Dogs were most popular in the literate families and goats in the semi-literate and illiterate families. The economic value and utility of the animals and the social status of the families influenced the choice of animals. Generally there was a tendency towards keeping animals for their economic value and utility rather than as pets. These results may be useful for sociological, economic and planning purposes and certainly to veterinarians in practice and in research.