ETHNO-VETERINARY ZOO-THERAPIES AND OCCULT PRACTICES IN GREATER CHOLISTAN DESERT (PAKISTAN)

To gather information about ethno-veterinary zoo-therapies and occult practices, prevalent in Greater Cholistan desert (Pakistan), a survey was made from May-December 2009. Semi-structured open- ended interviews with the native veterinary zoo -therapists cum medicine men were used. Eleven animal species, that include Acanthodactylus cantoris, Bos primigenius indicus, Bufo stomaticus, Camelus ferus bacterianus, Eryx johnii, Homo sapiens sapiens, Hoplobatrachus tigerinus, Oligodon taeniolatus and Oligodon arnensis, Pavo cristatus, Uromastyx hardwickii and Varanus griseus koniecznyi were commonly used for the preparation of zoo -therapeutics. The reported nostrums were indicated for more than fifteen ailments of cholistani livestock. Occult practices are performed either on the verge of disease outbreak or to counteract the effect of evil eye or to incur financial loss to fellow pastoralists. These occult practices were mostly executed by medicine men of higher spiritual intelligence and status. It is of public good to promote those efficacious nostrums, the ingredients of which can be acquired without killing the animals.