About this Document
There have been a number of decisions made regarding the topics that included in this publication. The topical choices include the following: all four animals are covered; the results of science-based research on the biology, physiology and care of these animals in both their native environments, and as transplants to other countries; the management of these animals by the native people as both herd and natural resources; some information on the important products such as fiber and meat; the role and economic value of the animals and animal products in rural communities; disease and disease organisms; veterinary care of diseases, injuries, surgery, genetic conditions, etc. The information sources are books, conference papers, and journal articles. Some credible web site resources are also listed. Abstracts are included when available.
The information in this resource has been extracted primarily from a variety of resources, and the collection of the National Agricultural Library. It is probably not a comprehensive listing of the World's literature on the topic as there may be literature in from the South American countries that has never been listed in commercially available databases.
The bibliographic citations are arranged by genus and species, publication year and alphabetically by author within each year. Since this is an electronic version, it does not include an index. It is expected that by searching using key words and a “find” request, the user will find what is of interest. Much of the information is in English.
The citations may include several access points: the online (URL) journal address, a digital object identifier (DOI) and/or a National Agricultural Library call number as a source of the original article. Go to NAL document services information at http://www.nal.usda.gov/services/request.shtml for lending and document delivery services.
The compiler welcomes additional information from other sources for inclusion or any comments or suggestions. It is desirable to have a comprehensive resource of information about these animals, and collaborators are welcome. If you have or know of science based information that would enhance this publication, please contact me. Note that any information submitted must have the important elements of identification and access i.e author, year, publication information, title, accessibility, etc.
Please send your comments, information, or suggestions to:
The Animal Welfare Information Center
10301 Baltimore Ave.
Beltsville,
Maryland, 20705, USA
Contact us: http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/contact.php
Tel: 301-504-6212
Fax: 301-504-7125
Readers are cautioned as to the dynamic nature of the internet and the fact that web addresses and content are subject to change. All sites are current as of April 2009.
Acknowledgements
Sandra Ball, Webmaster for the AWIC program, spent many hours editing converting the document into HTML. Her careful attention to detail helped greatly to provide a consistent, accurate and more readable document.
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