Poisonous Plants Seem to Affect Livestock in the Borana, Southern Ethiopia: An Ethnic-Toxicological Approach

Introduction: Toxic plants are plant species that cause harmful consequences to animals, including physical discomfort, decreased productivity, and death after being consumed or absorbed. Objective: The study aimed to identify toxic plants in the area, assess their consequences, identify factors causing livestock predisposition to toxic plants, and identify control and prevention methods. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2019 to June 2021 in the Dire, Dubluk, Yabello, and Moyale districts of the Borana Zone and to collect quantitative and qualitative data, a semi -structured questionnaire and focus group discussions (FGDs) were used. Results: Thus, based on qualitative analysis, 95% of participants identified harmful plants in the area that could potentially pose significant health risks to animals, out of a total of 120 individuals (46 (38.33%) females and 74 (61.67%) males) in the study area. According to the quantitative study, 31 plants in the study area were identified as toxic to livestock. Among the identified toxic plants were Pavetta gardeniifolia (23.63%), Loudetia flavida (10%), Euphorbia tirucalli (1.36%), Solanum somalense (3.2%), Eragrostis cilianensis (17.72%), Sorghum arundinaceum (17.72%), Acokanthera schimperi (4.1%), Capparis tomentosa (3.63%), and Teclea salicifolia (2.27%). The main factors that exposed livestock to toxic plants were a lack of feed combined with nutritional deficiency (73.6%), sudden ingestion with grass (98.2%), and fresh evergreen and matured attractive whole parts of toxic plants (52.6%). About 41.1% respondents indicated that animal was predisposed during the rainy season. A 42.9% of respondents replied as livestock grazed frequently in the forest area/plateau can affect and cattle (72.8%), which were the most frequently affected animals. Conclusion: The present study identified different poisonous plants for livestock and their responsible factors based on the community assessment and plant survey. Recommendations: Therefore, more intervention on the major toxic principles and phytochemistry of the identified plants must be studied.