Extent of adoption of buffalo calf management practices among milch buffalo keepers of the ramsar designated wetlands of Kerala

The kolelands of Thrissur district, Kerala, form part of a unique ecosystem forming part of the one of the largest wetland systems of the so called Vembanad-kol, a declared Ramsar site of India. Wetlands are important in that they perform quite a variety of functions which are important especially for recharging and discarding aquifers in the wetlands. Buffaloes are intrinsic to the landscape of the Thrissur kolelands, having being reared by native communities of the kolelands. Data on the adoption of various important buffalo calf management practices indicated that colostrum feeding of new born calves within thirty minutes of birth was well received by the farmers of both koleswhere asnon adoption rates were also alarmingly with regard to the use of dewormers and preventive vaccinations against food and mouth disease for buffalo calves.