Fecal egg counts for Kinnaura livestock and Asiatic Ibex in Pin Valley India

Disease cross-transmission between wild and domestic ungulates can have negative impacts on agricultural economies and wildlife conservation. Assessing how to reduce these impacts is key to maintaining people’s livelihoods while also conserving wild ungulate populations. In the trans-Himalayan region of Pin valley, migratory flocks of sheep and goats share pastures seasonally with the resident wild ungulate, Asiatic ibex (Capra sibirica), leading to the possibility of disease cross-transmission. We focused our work on gastro-intestinal nematode (GINs) as they are common determinants of health and fitness in wild and domestic ungulates. Using a parasite life cycle model that incorporated host movements and the effects of weather on infective larval availability, we investigated the transmission dynamics and evaluated potential interventions to attenuate infection pressure for both, the livestock and ibex. We found that although ibex used the pastures year-round, parasite eggs which they ...