Exotic Animal Practice in Africa.

This article explores the evolution, unique aspects, and challenges facing exotic animal practice in South Africa. This article delves into the slow emergence of dedicated exotic practices and the challenges faced by veterinarians in a vast and diverse landscape. The unique nature of the veterinary landscape is highlighted, emphasizing the impact of varied climates on species inhabiting different regions. The challenges are multifaceted, ranging from limited education infrastructure to dietary issues, unregulated feeds, and the complexities of herbal medicine use. The narrative explores client education challenges due to the scarcity of dedicated practices, underlining the importance of communication channels.

Supply of veterinary medicinal products to an emerging farming community in the North West Province of South Africa.

A study was conducted in the Madikwe District of the North West Province to investigate the supply of veterinary medicinal products to small-scale, subsistence and emerging farmers. A combination of individual interviews, focus groups and direct observation was used to collect data. Stock remedies were made available to farmers within the district at Field Service Units that were managed by administrative staff of the Directorate of Field Services. The state veterinarian and animal health technicians were not directly involved with the sale of products. Most farmers still travelled to farmers' cooperatives in the larger centres outside the district to purchase the veterinary medicinal products they needed. Factors such as the quality of service provided, affordability and availability of required products as well as inaccessibility of outlets to all farmers contributed to the poor support of these outlets by the farmers of the district.