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 of the connotation of expressing "my most valuable
Ethiopia, perhaps second only to gold, is civet possession. Likewise, a man dealing in the
(Amharic: Ziuad) ) the secretion from the musk civet trade used to be given special consideration
glands of the Civet cat (Amharic: Tirin) (Civ- and respect. To some degree, this practice con-
ettictis civetta) . This material has been collected tinues.
and exchanged as a choice item of trade since
It is believed that gold, honey, and civet are
ancient times. History reflects that the trade in
responsible for the beginning of weights and
civet was well established before the time of the
measures in Ethiopia. The Amharic word
Queen of Sheba. Among the prized gifts pre-
"uroket' means ounce and is associated with
sented to King Solomon during the Queen's
ancient inscriptions concerning these valuable
historic visit were frankincense, myrrh spices,
commodities. It is believed that the high value
ivory and civet, according to Ethiopian history.
caused the traders to develop a more precise
This material is used as a base for perfumes system of weights and measures than was gen-
and although synthetic materials have been erally employed with less expensive items.
developed in recent years, Ethiopian civet con- In addition to use as a perfume base, civet
tinues to be much in demand. Perhaps the is also used in the preparation of certain medi-
greatest demand comes from France, a country cines by the village medicine men.
noted for her perfume industry. Other countries
The peak year for civet production in Ethio-
such as the United States, England, Switzerland
pia was 1954 when 61,199 ounces valued at Eth.
and Germany are importers of Ethiopian civet.
$674,000 were exported. New techniques are
Civet is closely associated with the same trade being developed to test civet for purity and
channels dealing in such commodities as coffee, quality and with better market controls, the
tea, and spices. It has no doubt been an item of civet industry should continue to grow.
commerce with countries of southern and eastern
This publication is written in order to give
Asia since trade was established between the two
the reader a better understanding of this im-
continents centuries ago.
portant product of Ethiopia and the animal
During the era of the barter system in Ethi- which produces it.
opia, civet, gold, silver and diamonds were used
in foreign trade. This was particularly true of
trade between Ethiopia, Yemen, and Egypt. Description of the Civet Cat
These precious items were also used in domestic
The Ethiopian Civet cat (Civetticilis civetta)
trade for the purchase of cereals, cloth, and other
belongs to a family of small carnivorous mam-
merchandise.
mals called Viuerridae or Mongoose family. It
Another indication of the value of civet is is related to both the hyena and the cats. Their
the Ethiopian custom of naming a daughter family histories converge when traced back to
"Zibadi," meaning "my civet." The name has the Tertiary period. The Ethiopian Civet cat

2
retains the coarse erectile ridge of hair down the but sometimes as many as 150 to 200 cats will
back which is characteristic of the hyena. Char- be kept. They are kept in individual cages
acteristics of the cat retained by Civet cats are constructed of eucalyptus branches or bamboo.
the elongated form, long tail and semiretractable Normally, the cats are not placed in open pens
claws. A mature Civet cat stands approximately where mating would be possible; therefore, the
25 to 30 centimeters and measures approximately producer depends on capturing new animals
one meter from nose to the tip of tail. The tail rather than breeding in order to maintain num-
measures around 30 to 35 centimeters. The fur bers.
is coarse. Its color is dirty gray and black. The
Of particular interest is the method of cap-
black hair is concentrated into spots and stripes.
turing the animals. Frequently, a group of Ethi-
The black markings on the face give the Civet
opian farmers will be working in the field and
cat somewhat the appearance of the raccoon.
by chance will come upon a Civet cat hidden in
The animal is nocturnal and under natural some weeds or bushes. The cat, frightened by
conditions lives on a diet of smaller mammals, this encounter, runs away. A cat can run at
lizards, snakes, bird and crocodile eggs. It is about the same speed as man. The farmers give
frequently found around houses in search of chase and finally overtake the cat .. The cat is
table scraps or other food. It is also fond of poul- caught by the tail. Normally, the cat will pull
try. It is vicious when cornered or trapped and away rather than turn on his captor. If he does
its bite can send the victim to the hospital with turn, the farmer must be ready to move quickly
serious wounds. Like a bulldog, it will clamp its or be armed with a forked stick to prevent the
jaws tight and refuse to turn loose. No doubt animal from biting. The captured cat will be
it is quite capable of self protection against other taken to the farmer's house and placed in a
animals of similar size. It is reported that the small cage. Later, he will be sold to a commer-
Civet cat becomes tame in captivity; however, cial producer of civet. Only males are wanted
those observed remained vicious and required by the producer. The females are not very pro-
very careful handling. ductive because much of the civet is washed
away by the urine. Occasionally, a producer will
The gland which secretes the civet is a deep purchase one or two females with each large
pouch located near the genital organs (between shipment of cats. It is impossible to distinguish
the testes and the penis) in the case of the male. between the male and female without a close
It is associated with the urinary and genital sys- examination of the genital organs.
tem in the female. Unlike the American Civet
or skunk, the secretion is not expelled when the Civet cats inhabit both the forested areas of
animal becomes excited. The secretion con- western Ethiopia and the more open areas of the
tinues to collect in the pouch until removed central Plateau.
mechanically. Under natural conditions, the
cat rubs the gland over an exposed tree root or Commercial Production
a small branch in order to remove the accumu- Local agents in western provinces will collect
lated musk. In former times, people collected cats captured by individuals. The agents then
the civet from this source rather than directly consign the cats to a commercial producer of
from the cat. civet. Usually, the cats are purchased on the
basis of the number of live males which are
The Civet cat may be found over a wide
delivered to the commercial farm. Because of
area of Ethiopia; however, the western provinces
rough treatment in capturing and handling,
of KaHa, Wellega and Illubabor have become
many of them die in transit.
better known for the production of civet. In
these provinces the cats are captured and kept A healthy male is valued at about Eth. $50
in captivity. Many families keep 4 or 5 cats Please turn to Page 6

3
Most Civet cats are captured by Ethiopian farmers. has a vicious disposition, resulting in high mortality
A mature male will bring about 30 Ethiopian dollars during capture and confinement.
in lime or 70 dollars in Addis Ababa. The animal

CIVET, a secretion of the musk gland

of the Civet cat, is second in unit
value among Ethiopian export pro-
ducts.

The cats are captured in western

provinces and are caged separately.
They do not mate in captivity and
mortality is high during capture and
cleaning because of the vicious nature
of the animal. Use of tranquilizers
has been proposed to cu t death losses.

Research is underway on breed-

ing, handling, and feeding methods
designed to insure a continued supply
of animals and bigger yields of civet.

Quality standards are also being

studied to improve acceptance of
product in export trade.

Civet is extracted from musk gland

of male animals by scraping with
an ox horn spoon. Cats are cleaned
at 7 to 10 day intervals.

4
Extracted civet is usually offered Civet buyer, right, and seller each hold key to bank vault used
for sale in ox horn containers. to store civet until tests are completed and payment agreed on.

Civet is often adulterated with flour, banannas, Civet is now exported in glass-lined metal cans. Con-
or butter. This batch is examined for purity. tact with metal must be avoided to maintain quality.

5
 Continued from Page 3 secretion is yellow in color and about the con-
to $75 by the owner of a civet farm. Civet farms sistency of a heavy weight oil.
range in size from 4 or 5 cats managed by a farm
Traditionally, the civet is placed in an ox
family to 150-200 cats kept on a specialized farm.
horn. Apparently, the producers have learned
Because of the value of the cats they are often
that chemical reactions and deterioration of the
transported from the interior by air.
civet is kept at a minimum when stored in a
Housing Practices horn. Metal containers (usually aluminum)
must be lined with a special glass paint to pre-
Specialized farms with large numbers of cats
vent chemical reaction with the metal. The
house the animals in large buildings. These may
horn used for collecting civet is kept covered
range from rather expensive buildings of stone
with a parchment (usually the dried bladder of
or brick to less expensive buildings constructed
an ox) to protect the excessive oxidation or loss
of chika and thatch. Each cat is kept in a small
through volatilization.
cage made of bamboo or eucalyptus. A typical
cage has a trapdoor on either end to expedite
the handling of the animals.
Care of the Animals
The quality of civet depends to a large de-
Smaller producers might keep the cats In
gree on the care and management of the cats.
small cages located in the farm home. Civet will vary in odor and consistency according
to the diet of the animals. Once the secretion is
Feeding Methods collected, it must be placed in a non-metal air
Cats in captivity are usually fed once each tight container. The material oxidizes rapidly
day. A typical ration on the larger farms consists and turns darker in color. It also loses quality
of cooked beef and a porridge made of cracked through volatilization. The consistency changes
corn. Smaller farmers probably feed them table to a thick paste by the time it reaches the market.
scraps and fresh meat when it is available. The
quality of civet is determined to a large degree Ethiopian civet has developed an undesirable
by the rations fed to the animals. The larger reputation during past years because of the prac-
producers endeavor to provide a ration which tice of some producers of adding adulterants.
produces a high quality civet. Common adulterants are flour, bananas, butter,
pureed potatoes, oil and even the stools from
Extracting the Civet the cats. Some producers claim that these adul-
terants are added to stabilize the civet; however,
Cats are cleaned every 7 to 10 days. Each
this claim has been proven invalid by the trade.
male will produce approximately Y3 ounce. Fe-
A more reasonable explanation is that the adul-
males produce much less because of the loss of
terating materials bring a much better price
civet during urination. To clean the cat, one
when sold as civet!
attendant will put a stick of wood through the
cage and confine the animal in a fixed position.
Another attendant will reach through the trap Marketing Civet
door opening and grab the tail and back legs of Civet from the smaller producers is normally
the animal. He is then pulled backwards about collected by a broker. The broker establishes
a quarter of his length clear of the cage. The contact with an exporter usually located in
trap door is then released to hold the cat in Addis Ababa. Each horn full of civet usually
place. A third attendant opens the gland by constitutes a lot. The exporter removes a small
applying pressure to the underside with the sample of the material and delivers it to the
thumb and forefinger of the left hand. When Pasteur Institute of Addis Ababa for analysis.
the gland is open he can spoon out the secretion. The Institute makes an analysis for impurities
This is done with a spoon made of ox horn. The and issues an official report on purity. The ex-

6
 porting firm then sends a sample to an import- commodity will find a much greater demand in
ing firm in Europe or America for a price quo- world trade.
tation. When the quotation is received the ex-
porter and broker agree on a price. The broker Civet Research
recei ves a percen tage fee for his services and the It has already been pointed out that con-
producer receives the rest. siderable research has been conducted by the
Another method of marketing is accom- Bio-Chemistry staff of Pasteur Institute of Addis
plished by exporters who have developed a good Ababa. The purpose of this research is to enable
judgment of quality. When the broker brings the Ethiopian Government to establish quality
in several lots of civet, the exporter will examine control regulations. When standard quality
the material. He will insert a long spatula into grades are established it will insure a more
each container and stir the contents. He then stable market for this valuable product.
examines the civet, noting the color, texture, Research has been undertaken at the Jimma
consistency, odor and taste. He then offers a Agricultural Technical School on the following
price according to the quality of the civet. problems of management:

Capturing the cats-The customary methods

Civet Processing of capturing Civet cats usually results in heavy
Some exporters export each lot on a sample death losses due to injury while subduing the
basis. In many instances, the original container animals. Two methods of capturing will be
(ox horn) is exported. In other cases the civet tested. One will be by the use of traps. Baited
is repacked in lighter aluminum containers with traps will be placed at likely spots in the field
special lining. Since the civet is exported by air, and checked each morning. The use of tran-
it is desirable to keep the container weight to a quilizers will also be tested.
rmmmum.
A combination of the baited trap and chemi-
A more up to date system is for the exporter cal tranquilizers will probably be successful m
to blend various lots in order to achieve a uni- capturing civet cats without serious injury.
form grade. For instance, an exporter buying Nutrition-Various feeds will be tested to
civet from three different districts (] imma, determine the best rations for Civet cats. Im-
Gore, Nekempti) will find that the quality is portant considerations will be the general health
different from each district. Before shipping to of the animal, and the production of quality
a foreign market, he will blend the various lots civet.
to achieve a uniform grade. Once he has estab- Handling-Various cages will be constructed
lished a reputation of a good standard quality, to enable attendants to collect the civet without
he is not required to send samples to the foreign injury to the animal or the attendant. The use
buyer. of tranquilizers will also be tested to calm the
cats during the collection activities.
Inspection and Quality Control Breeding-Investigations are needed to learn
Chemists of the Pasteur Institute of Addis more about the breeding of Civet cats. The prac-
Ababa have developed chemical and visual tests tice of capturing and destroying wild Civet cats
to determine the purity of civet. Common will eventually result in the depletion of the
adulterants can be readily detected. A sample species and at best will increase the cost of pro-
of every lot exported must be tested by the Insti- duction. Through better management-the use
tute. Plans are underway to establish more rigid of proper enclosures, better nutrition and the
quality controls so that only pure civet may be use of tranquilizers-perhaps the production of
exported. Once Ethiopia has established a good quality civet will bring a better income to the
reputation for pure, good quality civet, this Ethiopian farmer.