INTRODUCTION Ostriches typically avoid humans in the wild, since they correctly assess humans as potential predators, and, if approached, often run away. However, ostriches may turn aggressive rather than run when threatened, especially when cornered, and may also attack when they feel the need to defend their offspring or territories. PRESENTATION OF CASE A 71-year-old male patient presented...

In a 2005 serological survey, carried out in response to an outbreak of H5N2 avian influenza (AI) in ostriches in the Eastern Cape Province, 16.3% of ostrich farms in the Western Cape Province of South Africa were found to be seropositive to H5 AI virus. We subsequently carried out a questionnaire-based census survey on all available registered Western Cape ostrich farms that still existed at t...

BACKGROUND Traditional communities have been utilizing animal products for numerous purposes and have for a long time contributed to the accumulation of world knowledge. Local people in Tanzania and elsewhere in Africa, have been using birds including ostriches as pets or their products such as meat, eggs as food; their body parts such as feathers, bones and hide for ornaments but more importan...

Ostriches are susceptible to bacterial, fungal and parasitic diseases. One of the most commonstrategies to reduce microbial contamination in animal production systems is to identify microbesources. In this regard, a first critical component for comprehensive farm-to-fork strategies to reducethe burden of foodborne illness is the identification of the pathogenic fungi in foodstuffs with animalso...

The authors summarise the issues of concern in game ranching, and the challenges involved in maintaining and utilising wild animals. The more intensive farming of ostriches and crocodiles is discussed. An indication of regulatory controls on the movement and possession of wild animals is given. Institutions concerned with aspects of wildlife care, rehabilitation and research are described.

Reference biochemical values for serum analytes of 126 clinically normal farmed ostriches on one farm in Botswana were established. These included sodium, potassium, chloride, total protein, albumin, urea, creatinine, uric acid, cholesterol, total bilirubin, conjugated bilirubin, glucose, triglyceride, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, copper, zinc, alkaline phosphatase, gamma glutamyl transferas...