Previous Page Table of Contents Next Page


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (second and first editions)


The acknowledgements for help and advice with the second edition of this book should be read in conjunction with the thanks extended in relation to the first edition. These former thanks are clearly still relevant and are also shown below.

Much encouragement and advice was received for the revised and enlarged edition of this book.

From the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific those involved were principally Denis Hoffmann, a former senior animal health production officer from 1997 to 2002, and David Steane, a freelance livestock consultant.

More specifically, thanks go first to those who have contributed new chapters or sections. The authors concerned are shown at the beginning of each of these chapters or sections and their affiliations as footnotes. Their names will not therefore be listed here, but their collaboration is greatly appreciated. Particularly in relation to countries within the traditional yak zone but outside China, several of the contributors differ from those who participated in the first edition.

Advice and help was sought from and given by many individuals, some on general matters and some in relation to specific chapters. In relation to the more technical new chapters, the help provided in terms of time and expertise is greatly appreciated not only by the compilers of this volume but also by the authors of the relevant chapters. Those to whom profound thanks are due are shown below in alphabetical order (in two cases, they are also authors or co-authors of other sections in the book):

Shikui Dong (formerly, Gansu Agricultural University, China); John Frame (formerly, Scottish Agricultural College, UK); Professor James F. D. Greenhalgh (formerly, Aberdeen University, UK); Chris Haley (Roslin Institute, UK); Professor Corneille Jest (Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique, France); W. Scott Johnston (formerly, Scottish Agricultural College, UK); Professor Hermann Kreutzmann (University Erlangen, Germany); Walter Roder (Advisor, Bhutan); David Steane (formerly FAO).

Appreciation for additional information and help not specifically acknowledged in the text, is also due to the following:

James Delaney (International Yak Association, USA); Nick Lindsay (Senior Curator, Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, UK); Daniel J. Miller (Rangeland consultant, USA); Camille Richard (International centre for integrated mountain development, Nepal); Dan Wharton and staff (wildlife conservation society, NY, USA); Nyima Tashi and Ji Qiumei (Tibetan academy of agriculture and animal sciences, Tibet, China); Qi Xuebin (Gansu, China); Liu Yingchun (Qinghai, China); Professor Pu Jiabi (Heifer Project International, Sichuan, China); Fu Changxiu (Sichuan, China); Associate Professor Wei Xiaohong (Gansu Agricultural University, China).

Also, other support was provided by Hans-Gerhard Wagner, FAO animal production officer, and by Chanrit Uawongkun, Animal Production and Health Commission for Asia and the Pacific for page layout and page setup.

The editorial assistance of Karen Emmons is appreciated.

The following were the acknowledgements in the first edition of the book:

Help and encouragement has been received by the authors from many sources and these are most happily acknowledged. Our thanks are listed under headings:

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

We are very grateful to Obaidullah Khan (Assistant Director-General and Regional representative for Asia and the Pacific) for his support and kindly writing the Foreword for this book. We are particularly indebted to David Steane (Chief technical advisor, conservation and use of animal genetic resources) for actively promoting the publication of this book, for making most of the arrangements for this and also for comments on scientific matters. We are also grateful to Masao Sasaki (FAO regional animal production and health officer) for his support of the project.

Material for book

The authors are indebted to those who personally contributed material for this book, mostly found in chapter 11. Particular thanks are due to Professors M. Tumurjav and M. Olonbayar (Mongolia), E. V. Katzina (Buryatia), R. N. Pal (India), D. D. Joshi (Nepal), Lham Tshering (Bhutan), and A. H. Cheema and A. Ghaffar (Pakistan). Their various and varied contributions have helped greatly to broaden the perspectives of this book. N. Lindsay (Curator) and E. Flack (Veterinarian) kindly provided information on yak at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park (England).

Scientific help

The authors are most grateful for the time and effort given by J. M. M. Cunningham (Emeritus Professor, Glasgow University) and A. J. Smith (Centre for tropical veterinary medicine, University of Edinburgh). Each read an entire draft of this book. Their comments and questions and the discussions held with them by one of us (G.W.) were most helpful in the development and revision of the manuscript. Professor Crad Roberts (University of Wales) should also be thanked for some initial suggestions on content. Helpful comments on Chapter 5 were also given by R. Webb (Roslin Institute), on Chapter 9 by A. G. Hunter (Centre for tropical veterinary medicine, University of Edinburgh) and on Chapter 4, in relation to haematology, by David Doxey (Veterinary field station, University of Edinburgh).

Translation

An initial translation of the Chinese manuscript of the book by Professor Cai Li, China yak (1992) (which provided a basis for the FAO book) was made into English by Ma Li and Zi Xiang-dong (both on the staff of the Southwest Nationalities College). Their time and effort are greatly appreciated. Subsequently, almost the entire burden of translation from Chinese into English and vice versa, during the preparation of this book, fell on Zi Xiang-dong. This was a formidable task owing to the copious correspondence between the authors, neither of whom speak each other's language. The work of translation must have greatly interfered with Zi's academic teaching commitments and with his personal life. We cannot thank him enough.

A relatively small but important amount of translation was done by J. G. Gong (Roslin Institute, Edinburgh) to whom we are also grateful.

Other help

Professor Graham Bulfield (Director, Roslin Institute) is thanked for use (by G.W.) of the facilities of the Roslin Institute. Its three library staff helped, beyond the call of duty, in tracing and obtaining books and reprints of articles needed for reference but often difficult to locate. Frances Anderson undertook the skilled job of preparing camera-ready copy from the material and diskettes supplied by G.W.

Photographs: by Cai Li except where otherwise acknowledged.


Previous Page Top of Page Next Page