Indian Journal of Comparative Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases

Pastoral transhumance is a system followed by nomadic farmers in Uttarakhand and adjoining Himalayan states, with their livelihood centered around milk and milk products. Various factors, such as extreme climatic conditions, animal diseases, nutritional deficiencies, fodder scarcity, poor herd management, and inadequate veterinary and extension services, can adversely impact the health and production of their livestock. Gastro-intestinal parasitism (GIP) is a widespread and economically significant infection in ruminants. In the transhumance hilly pastoral farming system, mortality losses due to diseases are generally lower, except in severe outbreaks of contagious disea ses. However, parasitism remains the single biggest cause of morbidity. Intelligent attention to identify various management practices is crucial for the sustainability of the transhumance pastoral farming system. Applying appropriate livestock disease management practices, with “One Health” approaches like “Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHPs),” f arm biosecurity, “Good Animal Grazing Practices (GAGPs),” and “Good Animal Farm Management (GAFM),” can significantly reduce the disease burden in animals, thereby minimizing the zoonotic diseases burden in humans. Achieving this goal requires proper GIP epidemiology along with anthelmintic resistance monitoring. Additionally, it is essential to validate the ethnoveterinary practices of the Van Gujjar community by employing appropriate scientific procedures.