The olor looks like an apron but works like a condom— for goats. Kenyan herdsmen are bringing back this traditional method of livestock contraception— a rectangular piece of cowhide or plastic tied around the belly of the male animal—to control breeding. The olor prevents the animals from mating and doesn’t require constant vigilance on the part of the herdsmen. They would otherwise have to keep the bucks and does in separate herds, which requires twice the number of supervisors to watch over them all.
In recent years, droughts in the region have thinned out pastures. If the goats were allowed to breed unfettered, the females would not be able to adequately care for their young. So this year, local villagers volunteered to follow a “family planning” initiative (which seems like an idea worth spreading, considering the prevalence of animal STDs.)
They decided on the olor because medical alternatives were unavailable. The devices are worn for several months during the breeding season and taken off only after the rains arrive in October or November. Since the villages depend on the goats for survival, the olor plan is taken very seriously. Those who allow their bucks to engage in unprotected philandering have to pay heavy fines.
October 11th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
MAKE IT RAIN ON THESE DOES
Africa is facing big problems these days with their livestock, which in many cases is their only means of survival. Maasai herdsmen in Kenya have created a device to prevent bucks from mating with the female goats at a time that is very crucial t…
January 27th, 2009 at 12:46 am
[...] Enough with the cows. Bring on the goats! [...]
March 12th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
I’d love to know how to construct an “olor” for our buck. Do you have any tips?
Our buck is proving to be a bit too enthusiastic in his “duties” and is actually putting our does at risk. We have free-range cattle, and are searching for the most humane way possible to deter our billy without electric fences or castration. When I saw this article I wondered if this could be used for our buck, it seems very humane and environmentally sound.
Thank You for Your Time,
Echowood
May 30th, 2009 at 10:30 am
as a goat milking mom (my daughter breaks out into hives when she drinks cow milk, and keeping a goat is economically more feasible than buying soy milk) , and learning 4-h mom, i recently had the opportunity of learning how to use a burdizzo. it was simple, had a pretty short learning curve, and had no risk of blood loss. to the animal. On the other hand, it was a permanent castration solution. It involves a small hand tool, no bigger than a pair of pruning shears. One wonders why so many of the kenyan male goats are allowed to reach maturity instead of being burdizzo’d or banded at young ages to prevent this problem in the first place? Surely reducing the number of fertile males would be a management solution…You would not need to reduce the number of bucks as severely as a farmer would here, but it would be an improvement over so many males vying for dominance, and make goats intended for meat use easier to herd/handle as well.