The Samburu
Community
Protocol about
the Samburu
Indigenous
Livestock Breeds
and their
Rights to their
Indigenous
Livestock Genetic
Resources and
Role in Global
Biodiversity
Management
as their strong resistance to disease. Because these breeds are integral
to our lives, we also have a wealth of knowledge about them, including
breeding methods and animal health knowledge.
Our indigenous breeds and their characteristics are the result of our relationship with the land, and as a result we see them as part of our cultural
heritage. We have learned that our breeds are also considered important
by others because of their hardiness and disease resistance.
Exotic Breeds: Since the introduction of the Galla goat from Somalia in
the 1960s, we have engaged in cross-breeding of our indigenous breeds
with exotic breeds. Exotic cattle breeds include the Boran, Sahiwal, Friesian and Ayrshire and Jersey. The main exotic breed of sheep to be introduced was the Dorper, which was heavily promoted by the government
through the distribution of rams by the government. Additionally, a small
number of dairy breeds of goats such as Toggenburg, Saanen and Alpine
have been introduced.
Whilst the exotic breeds provide more milk and meat in times of plenty, they are not as well adjusted to local conditions as our indigenous
breeds. This means that they are more susceptible to drought, disease
and less able to walk long distances. Additionally, except for the knowledge that we can transplant from the breeding and veterinary treatment
we provide to our indigenous breeds, we have little specialist knowledge
of these breeds, making us more dependent on inputs and information
from outside.
We also keep donkeys, camels and dogs. For more information on our
indigenous and introduced breeds, see Appendix I.
Subsistence livestock keepers: For hundreds of years we depended
entirely on our livestock for our survival, drinking their milk and blood,
and eating meat on special occasions. While many of us have built permanent homes, many are continuing to move according to the seasons
to find the best grazing, or to avoid diseases or raiders. Because droughts
are becoming more frequent and severe in Kenya, we are increasingly
concerned that the exotic breeds cannot cope well with such conditions.
As the level of inter-breeding rises, we now realize that the traits of the
exotic breeds may be undermining our ability to continue our way of
life.
OUR INDIGENOUS BREEDS HAVE CULTURAL
SIGNIFICANCE
4
In addition to the sustenance our livestock provides us, they also play
a significant role in our culture. A number of examples illustrate this
point:
Samburu elders decide on the time to initiate an age set by mass
circumcision of boys. The lead clan, the Lmasula slaughters a bull
to validate the timing and the age set.