Seasonal space-time dynamics of cattle behavior and mobility among Maasai pastoralists in semi-arid Kenya

cg.coverage.countryKenya
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2KE
cg.coverage.regionEastern Africa
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.09.025en
cg.issn0140-1963en
cg.issue3en
cg.journalJournal of Arid Environmentsen
cg.subject.ilriPASTORALISMen
cg.subject.ilriLIVESTOCKen
cg.volume74en
dc.contributor.authorButt, B.en
dc.date.accessioned2009-12-31T08:29:28Zen
dc.date.available2009-12-31T08:29:28Zen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/322
dc.titleSeasonal space-time dynamics of cattle behavior and mobility among Maasai pastoralists in semi-arid Kenyaen
dcterms.abstractThis study was conducted to understand how seasonality in drylands influences the space–time dynamics of cattle behavior and mobility among pastoralist managed Zebu cattle. The study relies on the use of handmade collars holding global positioning system (GPS) units to document the spatially and temporally explicit patterns of cattle mobility, field based herd-follows to document cattle behavior, and key informant interviews to document the role of pastoral herding strategies in explaining these patterns. Data were analyzed as a function of seasonality, distance from household, time of day, and land cover zone. During the dry season, there was an unexpectedly high frequency of grazing/walking cattle behavior. This pattern is attributed to ‘tracking’ strategies of Maasai pastoralists resulting in movement to niche grazing areas. During the wet season a bimodal distribution of grazing behavior can be attributed to milking strategies. The study concludes that simple, low cost GPS collars are an effective and easily replicable method to help understand the spatial and temporal dynamics of cattle behavior and mobility, and patterns of cattle mobility are related to seasonal constraints. Differences between different cattle behaviors can be partly explained by cultural herding practices of Maasai pastoralists.en
dcterms.accessRightsLimited Access
dcterms.bibliographicCitationButt, B. 2009. Seasonal space-time dynamics of cattle behavior and mobility among Maasai pastoralists in semi-arid Kenya. Journal of Arid Environments. 74(3): 403-413.en
dcterms.extentp. 403-413en
dcterms.issued2010-03
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCopyrighted; all rights reserved
dcterms.publisherElsevieren
dcterms.subjectcattleen
dcterms.subjectnomadismen
dcterms.typeJournal Article

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