It is 7am on Monday and three families in Cyeza Sector in Ngororero District are releasing the cows and sheep from their home. Homes, as in their living rooms and kitchens, not cow sheds and such. In separate interviews, they reveal that a whole village stays together with their livestock; cite fears of robbery in the area. Some residents, however, say they prefer to stay with their animals under the same roof because they cannot afford the lodging, adding most of their living houses are about to collapse. “We cannot afford animal lodging while our living houses are about to collapse; we are comfortable sharing a roof with our cows and we never face any sickness or diseases,” says Munyengabe, a father of five who adds acerbically that his ancestors stayed with domestic animals for many years but never suffered any diseases. Munyengabe said in the area, owning a cow means a lot because it is the source of income in the area. “For many years, even when I was still young, I used to see my parents do the same, but they were well. Marta Mukandamutsa’s family share a room with sheep. She says she fears thieves might come at the night and steal them if they were to be left outside. “It is our routine, you will find many people stay with their animals, and there is nothing strange about it. There is none who has told us it is harmful,” she says. “I chose to stay with my sheep because the thieves might come and steal them,” she said. Roger Rwiyereka, the executive secretary of Cyeza Sector, says most of the residents stay with their animals, adding that they are trying to eradicate such culture by sensitising them to care for hygiene in their families and keeping animals in abode. “We keep advising them to take care of hygiene. They (animals) should have their places which are different from people,” he says. Rwiyereka adds that they work with health animators in the area to fight this ‘culture’. Dr Isidore Gafarasi, the director of veterinary services at Rwanda Agricultural Board (RAB), says livestock and people can infect each other (infectious diseases) adding there are so many infectious diseases caused by animals and people when they live together. “If people stay with animals, they (animals) can infect tuberculosis, teenier and respiratory diseases, among others,” he says Dr Gafarasi adds that both dirt and diseases can be found in living with animals. The doctor says there is a need to prevent such problems by staying away from domestic animals. “It is better to live separately, people must have separate quarters for their livestock unlike staying with them,” he adds. Dr Gafarasi says there are some diseases that people can transmit to animals through dirt they give people germs and parasites which make them ill. “Diseases passed from domestic animals to people are called zoonoses or zoonotic illnesses. Because of bad hygiene of humans and animals there are transmission of cocktail of diseases,” he says.
