Goat genetic resources in Madagascar

Abstract

Goats have always been considered very useful animals. As a result, local goat breeds that are renowned for their adaptation to difficult conditions deserve to be inventoried. The aim of this study is to draw up an inventory of domestic goats in Madagascar. The various existing breeds, the distribution of livestock, morphology and biometry are discussed. The study revealed that three types of breed are bred in Madagascar. Indigenous breeds, represented by two ecotypes: "Beroma" and "Fohivolo". The mixed breeds made up of Malagasy Angora and the exotic breeds made up of Alpine and Boer. These breeds are cosmopolitan in distribution, although a large herd is found in the south of Madagascar, particularly in the Menabe, Atsimo-Andrefana, Androy and Anosy regions. Native goats have highly variable coats, with long or short hair and short, horizontal ears that are pricked forward. The Malagasy Angora goat has a single-coloured coat with long hair and floppy ears. As for the exotic breeds, the Alpine goat is characterised by a buff coat and fairly closed upright horn-shaped ears, while the Boer goat has well-spaced horns on the head and gently curved backwards on the neck. Their ears are long and hang low on the head. In terms of biometry, the Malagasy Angora goat is higher than the two ecotypes 'Beroma' and 'Fohivolo', but lower than the two exotic goats 'Alpine' and 'Boer'. These results show that no selection has been made by Malagasy goat breeders since the goats were introduced to Madagascar. This work could therefore contribute to the implementation of genetic improvement or conservation strategies for Malagasy goat populations.