Ethnozoological study of medicinal animals used in traditional healthcare in Andracha District, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Medicinal animals are integral to traditional healthcare worldwide, yet ethnozoological knowledge in many Ethiopian regions remains under-documented. This study documented the diversity of medicinal animals, associated cultural knowledge, preparation methods, and conservation implications among communities in Andracha District, Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional ethnobiological survey was conducted from January to August 2025 using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and field observations. Sixty-five informants participated, including 25 key informants purposively selected and 40 general participants randomly chosen. FGDs refined data collection instruments and validated traditional knowledge. Quantitative indices Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), Fidelity Level (FL), and Zoological Ethnoknowledge Index (ZEI) summarized knowledge patterns, species importance, and cultural reliability. Jaccard Similarity Index (JSI) and Rahman's Similarity Index (RSI) assessed cross-community similarity. Statistical analyses, including t-tests, ANOVA, and linear regression, explored variations across gender, age, education, and experience using R software. RESULTS: A total of 52 medicinal animal species were documented in Andracha District. Bos taurus, Apis mellifera, and Halictus scabiosae exhibited the highest RFC values. ICF ranged from 0.60 to 0.97, with the strongest agreement observed for respiratory and gastrointestinal ailments. The highest FL was recorded for Capra aegagrus hircus (FL = 83.3%), followed by Apis mellifera (FL = 77.8%). Knowledge of medicinal animals varied significantly with age, gender, literacy, and healer experience (P < 0.05). Major threats to medicinal fauna included agricultural expansion, overgrazing, and overexploitation, while indigenous conservation practices such as sacred forest protection and community stewardship were actively maintained. CONCLUSION: Medicinal animals are crucial for healthcare, cultural identity, and livelihoods in Andracha District. Environmental pressures and generational gaps threaten both species and associated knowledge. Strengthening community-based conservation, sustainable harvesting, and intergenerational knowledge transmission is essential to safeguard this biocultural heritage. The study documents traditional practices but does not endorse ingestion or application of potentially hazardous animal products.