Animal resources from Asia

Domesticated animals-principally sheep and goats, but also cattle, poultry, and pigs in agricultural areas-are the most economically important animal species. Hides, wool, and dairy products are of great economic significance in many areas. In Central Asia the horse and the yak traditionally are the riding animal and the beast of burden, respectively; in Arabia the camel is both. Reindeer herds are kept in the northern tundra of Siberia, where they feed on mosses and shrubs. In India cattle are especially prized as sources of milk and butter, and the oxcart is still ubiquitous in rural areas. In India, Myanmar, and Thailand elephants work as draft animals in the lumbering industry; particularly in Southeast Asia the water buffalo is an important draft animal as well as a source for milk and butter. [Read more]

Animal resources from South America

Animal resources constitute a major portion of the economies of most South American countries. In pre-Columbian times, relatively few animals were domesticated, and almost none of them extended beyond the geographic limits of their wild ancestors. An exception was the Muscovy duck. Llamas and alpacas were domesticated in the high Andes in Inca times and probably earlier. Guinea pigs were domesticated as a meat source in pre-Inca times in the Andean highlands from Colombia to Argentina. Among animals introduced to the continent were cattle, horses, goats, sheep, and pigs, all of which adapted rapidly and thrived in the New World. Cattle have become especially important in areas such as the Llanos in Venezuela and Colombia, the Argentine Pampas, and the rolling plains of [Read more]

Animal Resources from Africa

Although water buffalo, oxen, horses, mules, donkeys, and camels are used primarily as draft, pack, or riding animals in Africa, they also provide milk, meat, hides, or skins. The water buffalo is an offshoot of the Asiatic buffalo (Bubalus bubalis); it arrived in Africa in relatively recent times and is now found almost exclusively in Egypt. The domesticated African water buffalo is used to cultivate irrigated land (mainly in the Nile delta) and to provide milk and meat. Because of its intractability and wild nature, however, the African elephant-unlike the Asian elephant-is not used for draft or haulage purposes. [Read more]