AN ETHNOZOOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF TRADITIONALLY USED ANIMAL-BASED THERAPIES IN ATTAPPADY OF PALAKKAD DISTRICT, KERALA, INDIA.

Abstract

The present study is an attempt to collect and document the ethnozoological knowledge possessed by the traditional tribal people of Attappady hills of Western Ghats in Palakkad district. The study area consisted of three categories of tribes namely, Irula, Kurumba and Muduga. Irulas contribute the majority followed by Mudugas and Kurumbas respectively. The study involved collection of information regarding the topic from all the three categories of tribes. Informations were collected by direct personal interviews with traditional healers belonging to tribal community. The mentioned animals were identified by their local names and previous studies in ethnozoology and available biodiversity records of regions in and around Attappady which involves Silent Valley National Park. The lack of biodiversity records posed difficulty in identifying the animal mentioned by the healers. The collected data was analyzed mathematically by calculating Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) to know the category of ailment for which more treatment is available, Fidelity level of animal species to identify the most preferred  species for zootherapeutics, andInformant Agreement Index (IAR) to determine the agreement between informants for the use of a particular animal species for the treatment of a particular ailment category. ICF value obtained is highest for orthopedic ailments, FL is highest for Varanus bengalensis and Rusa unicolor and IAR is highest for seven species. The reduction in number of animals, lack of efficiency in implementing forest laws and their cultural taboos regarding the interaction with the outside world have resulted in the deterioration of traditional knowledge among the tribal population itself and also, due to legal issues, they have switched over almost completely to floral medicine. Therefore, they have a very little knowledge on the practice of zootherapeutics and ethnozoology.