Background

An attractive, alternative and sustainable solution is the breeding for disease resistance. Indeed, anecdotal evidence suggests that among the large and diverse range of indigenous breeds of sheep and goats in the tropics there are some that appear to have the genetic ability to resist or tolerate helminthiasis. One of these is the Red Maasai breed found in East Africa and perceived to be resistant to the disease. The Red Maasai is a fat-tailed sheep associated with the Maasai tribe found in northern Tanzania and south-central Kenya.