ETHIOPIAN CIVET(Civetiictis civetia)

Hugh F. Rouk

and

Hai1u Mengesha

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

Experiment Station Bulletin No. 21

IMPERIAL ETHIOPIAN COLLEGE

OF AGRICULTURE AND MECHANICAL ARTS

P.O. BOX 138 DIRE DA W A, ETHIOPIA

MAY 1963

ETHIOPIAN CIVET(Civeitictis civetia)

Hugh F. Rouk and Hailu Mengesha

One of the most expensive products ofEthiopia, perhaps second only to gold, is civet(Amharic: Ziuad) ) the secretion from the muskglands of the Civet cat (Amharic: Tirin) (Civ-ettictis civetta) . This material has been collectedand exchanged as a choice item of trade sinceancient times. History reflects that the trade incivet was well established before the time of theQueen of Sheba. Among the prized gifts pre-sented to King Solomon during the Queen'shistoric visit were frankincense, myrrh spices,ivory and civet, according to Ethiopian history.

This material is used as a base for perfumesand although synthetic materials have beendeveloped in recent years, Ethiopian civet con-tinues to be much in demand. Perhaps thegreatest demand comes from France, a countrynoted for her perfume industry. Other countriessuch as the United States, England, Switzerlandand Germany are importers of Ethiopian civet.

Civet is closely associated with the same tradechannels dealing in such commodities as coffee,tea, and spices. It has no doubt been an item ofcommerce with countries of southern and easternAsia since trade was established between the twocontinents centuries ago.

During the era of the barter system in Ethi-opia, civet, gold, silver and diamonds were usedin foreign trade. This was particularly true oftrade between Ethiopia, Yemen, and Egypt.These precious items were also used in domestictrade for the purchase of cereals, cloth, and othermerchandise.

Another indication of the value of civet isthe Ethiopian custom of naming a daughter"Zibadi," meaning "my civet." The name has

the connotation of expressing "my most valuablepossession. Likewise, a man dealing in thecivet trade used to be given special considerationand respect. To some degree, this practice con-tinues.

It is believed that gold, honey, and civet areresponsible for the beginning of weights andmeasures in Ethiopia. The Amharic word"uroket' means ounce and is associated withancient inscriptions concerning these valuablecommodities. It is believed that the high valuecaused the traders to develop a more precisesystem of weights and measures than was gen-erally employed with less expensive items.

In addition to use as a perfume base, civetis also used in the preparation of certain medi-cines by the village medicine men.

The peak year for civet production in Ethio-pia was 1954 when 61,199 ounces valued at Eth.$674,000 were exported. New techniques arebeing developed to test civet for purity andquality and with better market controls, thecivet industry should continue to grow.

This publication is written in order to givethe reader a better understanding of this im-portant product of Ethiopia and the animalwhich produces it.

Description of the Civet CatThe Ethiopian Civet cat (Civetticilis civetta)

belongs to a family of small carnivorous mam-mals called Viuerridae or Mongoose family. Itis related to both the hyena and the cats. Theirfamily histories converge when traced back tothe Tertiary period. The Ethiopian Civet cat

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retains the coarse erectile ridge of hair down theback which is characteristic of the hyena. Char-acteristics of the cat retained by Civet cats arethe elongated form, long tail and semiretractableclaws. A mature Civet cat stands approximately25 to 30 centimeters and measures approximatelyone meter from nose to the tip of tail. The tailmeasures around 30 to 35 centimeters. The furis coarse. Its color is dirty gray and black. Theblack hair is concentrated into spots and stripes.The black markings on the face give the Civetcat somewhat the appearance of the raccoon.

The animal is nocturnal and under naturalconditions lives on a diet of smaller mammals,lizards, snakes, bird and crocodile eggs. It isfrequently found around houses in search oftable scraps or other food. It is also fond of poul-try. It is vicious when cornered or trapped andits bite can send the victim to the hospital withserious wounds. Like a bulldog, it will clamp itsjaws tight and refuse to turn loose. No doubtit is quite capable of self protection against otheranimals of similar size. It is reported that theCivet cat becomes tame in captivity; however,those observed remained vicious and requiredvery careful handling.

The gland which secretes the civet is a deeppouch located near the genital organs (betweenthe testes and the penis) in the case of the male.It is associated with the urinary and genital sys-tem in the female. Unlike the American Civetor skunk, the secretion is not expelled when theanimal becomes excited. The secretion con-tinues to collect in the pouch until removedmechanically. Under natural conditions, thecat rubs the gland over an exposed tree root ora small branch in order to remove the accumu-lated musk. In former times, people collectedthe civet from this source rather than directlyfrom the cat.

The Civet cat may be found over a widearea of Ethiopia; however, the western provincesof KaHa, Wellega and Illubabor have becomebetter known for the production of civet. Inthese provinces the cats are captured and keptin captivity. Many families keep 4 or 5 cats

but sometimes as many as 150 to 200 cats willbe kept. They are kept in individual cagesconstructed of eucalyptus branches or bamboo.Normally, the cats are not placed in open penswhere mating would be possible; therefore, theproducer depends on capturing new animalsrather than breeding in order to maintain num-bers.

Of particular interest is the method of cap-turing the animals. Frequently, a group of Ethi-opian farmers will be working in the field andby chance will come upon a Civet cat hidden insome weeds or bushes. The cat, frightened bythis encounter, runs away. A cat can run atabout the same speed as man. The farmers givechase and finally overtake the cat .. The cat iscaught by the tail. Normally, the cat will pullaway rather than turn on his captor. If he doesturn, the farmer must be ready to move quicklyor be armed with a forked stick to prevent theanimal from biting. The captured cat will betaken to the farmer's house and placed in asmall cage. Later, he will be sold to a commer-cial producer of civet. Only males are wantedby the producer. The females are not very pro-ductive because much of the civet is washedaway by the urine. Occasionally, a producer willpurchase one or two females with each largeshipment of cats. It is impossible to distinguishbetween the male and female without a closeexamination of the genital organs.

Civet cats inhabit both the forested areas ofwestern Ethiopia and the more open areas of thecentral Plateau.

Commercial ProductionLocal agents in western provinces will collect

cats captured by individuals. The agents thenconsign the cats to a commercial producer ofcivet. Usually, the cats are purchased on thebasis of the number of live males which aredelivered to the commercial farm. Because ofrough treatment in capturing and handling,many of them die in transit.

A healthy male is valued at about Eth. $50

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Most Civet cats are captured by Ethiopian farmers.A mature male will bring about 30 Ethiopian dollarsin lime or 70 dollars in Addis Ababa. The animal

has a vicious disposition, resulting in high mortalityduring capture and confinement.

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CIVET, a secretion of the musk glandof the Civet cat, is second in unitvalue among Ethiopian export pro-ducts.

The cats are captured in westernprovinces and are caged separately.They do not mate in captivity andmortality is high during capture andcleaning because of the vicious natureof the animal. Use of tranquilizershas been proposed to cu t death losses.

Research is underway on breed-ing, handling, and feeding methodsdesigned to insure a continued supplyof animals and bigger yields of civet.

Quality standards are also beingstudied to improve acceptance ofproduct in export trade.

Civet is extracted from musk glandof male animals by scraping withan ox horn spoon. Cats are cleanedat 7 to 10 day intervals.

Extracted civet is usually offeredfor sale in ox horn containers.

Civet buyer, right, and seller each hold key to bank vault usedto store civet until tests are completed and payment agreed on.

Civet is often adulterated with flour, banannas,or butter. This batch is examined for purity.

Civet is now exported in glass-lined metal cans. Con-tact with metal must be avoided to maintain quality.

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to $75 by the owner of a civet farm. Civet farmsrange in size from 4 or 5 cats managed by a farmfamily to 150-200 cats kept on a specialized farm.Because of the value of the cats they are oftentransported from the interior by air.

Housing PracticesSpecialized farms with large numbers of cats

house the animals in large buildings. These mayrange from rather expensive buildings of stoneor brick to less expensive buildings constructedof chika and thatch. Each cat is kept in a smallcage made of bamboo or eucalyptus. A typicalcage has a trapdoor on either end to expeditethe handling of the animals.

Smaller producers might keep the cats In

small cages located in the farm home.

Feeding MethodsCats in captivity are usually fed once each

day. A typical ration on the larger farms consistsof cooked beef and a porridge made of crackedcorn. Smaller farmers probably feed them tablescraps and fresh meat when it is available. Thequality of civet is determined to a large degreeby the rations fed to the animals. The largerproducers endeavor to provide a ration whichproduces a high quality civet.

Extracting the CivetCats are cleaned every 7 to 10 days. Each

male will produce approximately Y3 ounce. Fe-males produce much less because of the loss ofcivet during urination. To clean the cat, oneattendant will put a stick of wood through thecage and confine the animal in a fixed position.Another attendant will reach through the trapdoor opening and grab the tail and back legs ofthe animal. He is then pulled backwards abouta quarter of his length clear of the cage. Thetrap door is then released to hold the cat inplace. A third attendant opens the gland byapplying pressure to the underside with thethumb and forefinger of the left hand. Whenthe gland is open he can spoon out the secretion.This is done with a spoon made of ox horn. The

secretion is yellow in color and about the con-sistency of a heavy weight oil.

Traditionally, the civet is placed in an oxhorn. Apparently, the producers have learnedthat chemical reactions and deterioration of thecivet is kept at a minimum when stored in ahorn. Metal containers (usually aluminum)must be lined with a special glass paint to pre-vent chemical reaction with the metal. Thehorn used for collecting civet is kept coveredwith a parchment (usually the dried bladder ofan ox) to protect the excessive oxidation or lossthrough volatilization.

Care of the AnimalsThe quality of civet depends to a large de-

gree on the care and management of the cats.Civet will vary in odor and consistency accordingto the diet of the animals. Once the secretion iscollected, it must be placed in a non-metal airtight container. The material oxidizes rapidlyand turns darker in color. It also loses qualitythrough volatilization. The consistency changesto a thick paste by the time it reaches the market.

Ethiopian civet has developed an undesirablereputation during past years because of the prac-tice of some producers of adding adulterants.Common adulterants are flour, bananas, butter,pureed potatoes, oil and even the stools fromthe cats. Some producers claim that these adul-terants are added to stabilize the civet; however,this claim has been proven invalid by the trade.A more reasonable explanation is that the adul-terating materials bring a much better pricewhen sold as civet!

Marketing CivetCivet from the smaller producers is normally

collected by a broker. The broker establishescontact with an exporter usually located inAddis Ababa. Each horn full of civet usuallyconstitutes a lot. The exporter removes a smallsample of the material and delivers it to thePasteur Institute of Addis Ababa for analysis.The Institute makes an analysis for impuritiesand issues an official report on purity. The ex-

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porting firm then sends a sample to an import-ing firm in Europe or America for a price quo-tation. When the quotation is received the ex-porter and broker agree on a price. The brokerrecei ves a percen tage fee for his services and theproducer receives the rest.

Another method of marketing is accom-plished by exporters who have developed a goodjudgment of quality. When the broker bringsin several lots of civet, the exporter will examinethe material. He will insert a long spatula intoeach container and stir the contents. He thenexamines the civet, noting the color, texture,consistency, odor and taste. He then offers aprice according to the quality of the civet.

Civet ProcessingSome exporters export each lot on a sample

basis. In many instances, the original container(ox horn) is exported. In other cases the civetis repacked in lighter aluminum containers withspecial lining. Since the civet is exported by air,it is desirable to keep the container weight to armmmum.

A more up to date system is for the exporterto blend various lots in order to achieve a uni-form grade. For instance, an exporter buyingcivet from three different districts (] imma,Gore, Nekempti) will find that the quality isdifferent from each district. Before shipping toa foreign market, he will blend the various lotsto achieve a uniform grade. Once he has estab-lished a reputation of a good standard quality,he is not required to send samples to the foreignbuyer.

Inspection and Quality ControlChemists of the Pasteur Institute of Addis

Ababa have developed chemical and visual teststo determine the purity of civet. Commonadulterants can be readily detected. A sampleof every lot exported must be tested by the Insti-tute. Plans are underway to establish more rigidquality controls so that only pure civet may beexported. Once Ethiopia has established a goodreputation for pure, good quality civet, this

commodity will find a much greater demand inworld trade.

Civet ResearchIt has already been pointed out that con-

siderable research has been conducted by theBio-Chemistry staff of Pasteur Institute of AddisAbaba. The purpose of this research is to enablethe Ethiopian Government to establish qualitycontrol regulations. When standard qualitygrades are established it will insure a morestable market for this valuable product.

Research has been undertaken at the JimmaAgricultural Technical School on the followingproblems of management:

Capturing the cats-The customary methodsof capturing Civet cats usually results in heavydeath losses due to injury while subduing theanimals. Two methods of capturing will betested. One will be by the use of traps. Baitedtraps will be placed at likely spots in the fieldand checked each morning. The use of tran-quilizers will also be tested.

A combination of the baited trap and chemi-cal tranquilizers will probably be successful mcapturing civet cats without serious injury.

Nutrition-Various feeds will be tested todetermine the best rations for Civet cats. Im-portant considerations will be the general healthof the animal, and the production of qualitycivet.

Handling-Various cages will be constructedto enable attendants to collect the civet withoutinjury to the animal or the attendant. The useof tranquilizers will also be tested to calm thecats during the collection activities.

Breeding-Investigations are needed to learnmore about the breeding of Civet cats. The prac-tice of capturing and destroying wild Civet catswill eventually result in the depletion of thespecies and at best will increase the cost of pro-duction. Through better management-the useof proper enclosures, better nutrition and theuse of tranquilizers-perhaps the production ofquality civet will bring a better income to theEthiopian farmer.

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