All in a day’s work: Vets deal with bites, spitting in Djibouti

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Since January, the 350th Civil Affairs Command, Functional Specialty Team has provided veterinarian service to more than 35,000 animals in Djibouti


All in a day’s work: Vets deal with bites, spitting in Djibouti
By Zeke Minaya, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, December 20, 2007

GABLA GALAN, Djibouti

For all of its natural beauty, Djibouti — arid and drought-stricken — is unforgiving.

With no arable land to speak of, much of the population outside of the capital city and its busy port eke out a meager living from animals, mainly goats, sheep and camels.

The health of a herders’ flock is not merely a matter of prosperity or paucity for the families dependent on the pastoral economy. It can be a matter of life and death.

The U.S. military mission in the Horn of Africa calls for the promotion of stability in the region. In Djibouti, that translates in part to providing medical care for the livestock that are depended upon for meat and milk. Since January, the 350th Civil Affairs Command, Functional Specialty Team has provided veterinarian service to more than 35,000 animals.

The Army reservists, out of Pensacola, Fla., have trekked deep into the remote corners of Djibouti — often taking jarring car drives over pitted, rutted roads in service of their mission. And many Djiboutians have eagerly taken them up on their offer of assistance.


Rest of AFRICOM article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=51132