ETHNOZOOLOGICAL REMEDIAL USES BY THE INDIGENOUS INHABITANTS IN ADJOINING AREAS OF THE POBITORA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, ASSAM, INDIA

Objective: To comprehend the traditional knowledge on zootherapeutic remedies used by indigenous people inhabiting in adjoining areas of the Pobitora wildlife sanctuary located in the Morigaon district of Assam State, India.Methods: [d1] The adjoining villages of this wildlife sanctuary are inhabited by different indigenous communities and tribal groups of which Nath community and Karbis constitute the main population. In the present study, field survey was carried out from October 2014 to March 2015 by performing personal interviews through semi-structured questionnaires and in some cases where respondents were uncomfortable with the questionnaires, informal interviews and group discussions were conducted with a total of 50 respondents (33 male and 17 female), who provided the information regarding various uses of animals and their products (local name of animal, mode of preparation, application, etc) in their traditional medicine.Results: A total of 26 ethnomedicinal animals and animal products that are used for the treatment of various ailments including asthma, jaundice, chicken pox, pneumonia, anemia, etc. were recorded. Some protected wild species like the golden jackal (Canis aureus), rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) and Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) were also mentioned to have important medicinal uses. The highest percentage of animals used for traditional treatment is mammals (~34.62 %) followed by fishes (~30.77 %) and birds (~15.38 %). Most of the information are generally provided by the elderly person in the age group above 50 y.Conclusion: The information on the remedial uses of different animals were collected from Nath community and Karbis who use a variety of zootherapeutic medicines for curing different ailments in their own ways. Such kind of information and documentation should be very helpful in the formulation of strategies on sustainable management and conservation of bio-resources so that the medicinal values of these traditional remedies would go a long way and may lead to novel drug(s) discovery.Keywords: Pobitora wildlife sanctuary, Traditional medicine, Zootherapy [d1]Check fon