Heat Stress and Its Mitigation Strategies: A Review

With raising global temperature, significance on heat stress is also increasingly important. As long as the animals are within the thermo neutral zone, they are comfortable without any seen effects. Heat stress, up to a certain level could be efficiently o vercome by the inherent mechanisms within the animal's body. But once it is crossed and the thermo neutral zone is disturbed completely, then although they are homoeothermic still they cannot maintain homeostasis and that in turn results in an adverse effe ct on the production, reproduction and health of the animal. Heat stress, the most vital climatic stress, along with an effect on the productive potential of animal, is lethal to its survival in harsh conditions. H igh temperature, air movement, solar radia tion, wind speed and relative humidity are important parameters of the climatic variables. Amongst the mentioned, high temperature, radiation and humidity are the most important factors, which drastically affect the overall performance of livestock with re duction in meat, milk and egg production. Global warming and deforestation are also important contributors for increase in the earth's temperature, thereby causing heat stress. Keeping this in view, there is a need to take up different mitigation measures to overcome the heat stress. Although different precautionary measures are adapted to alleviate heat stress, still the livestock cannot be completely relieved of it.