Man-Animal Interaction Complex in Goat Herding of the Pastoral Turkana

Abstract

The development mechanism of mutual interaction between man and domestic animals is examined in the goat herding of the Turkana, nomadic pastoralists living in northwestern Kenya. Behavior and inter-individuals relationships among the goats are studied. Comparison with non-managed, feral and wild goats, revealed several behavioral modifications induced in the domestic goats by human management: (1) individual differences in the degree of proximity to the mother; (2) familiarity among the members of one herd; (3) formation of large groups; and (4) learned ability to move autonomously during herding. The goats are totally habituated to human management. The behavioral changes in goats are an unintended secondary result of the management practices of separating the kids from their mothers by keeping the kids at the village, and of repeated day-trip herding. The relationship between man and domestic animals in certain management system should be viewed as the integrated outcome of their mutual interactions.