Diagnosis of Trace element Nutritional Disorders in Herbivores: A Case Study in lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya

Abstract

A number of methods are described for the diaqnosls of nutritional disorders attributed to trace element deficiency, toxicity or imbalance in grazing animals. These methods range from use of clinical symptoms and supplementation trials to check response to analysis of soils, forages, blood and bone. A case study in Lake Nakuru National Park reveals that heavy metal poisoning may be responsible for the poor health status of the Waterbuck (Kobus ~/Iipsyprymnus defassa) in tha north-eastern section of the Park.