Tanzania: Study shows that with GPS it is possible to reduce disease burdens in cattle

In research conducted in Tanzania they found that the use of GPS to monitor livestock herds can facilitate specific interventions that would help reduce the burden of livestock disease. According to an article published by the portal The Cattle Site, researchers from the University of Glasgow have tracked livestock using satellite GPS (global positioning system) devices to get a better idea of how livestock diseases spread in eastern part of Africa. . Findings published in Scientific Reports show that time-targeted interventions could reduce the burden of foot-and-mouth disease, peste des petits ruminants and anthrax, which continues to take a strong hit in sub-Saharan Africa. (Read: The importance of GPS in livestock farms) For the study, the researchers partnered with farmers in rural Tanzania to monitor dozens of cattle herds using GPS trackers. In response to this, the team was surprised to find that livestock moved long distances every day, to and from shared rangelands at an ...