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This working donkey at a busy market town in Ethiopia was exhausted and had all but given up his fight for life.
Constant beatings to work harder and poor harness have left his back deformed and his body covered in painful open wounds. Riddled with parasites and with his health deteriorating by the day, his future seemed miserable. The donkey pictured here is sadly typical of the cases our Awassa mobile team in the south of Ethiopia come across every week. They cover an area of 100km and, along with six further clinics in the country, they treat tens of thousands of working donkeys every year. |
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This young donkey had all but given up his fight for life. He had not been eating, had become weak and tired and was no longer able to work, but with little money to spare, providing veterinary care to a sick donkey is not always an option for owners.
It was the first time this owner and his donkey had been to our clinic. He took part in one of our educational workshops which always take place before free veterinary treatments are given. These enable us to promote the basic welfare needs of the donkeys in order to reduce unnecessary suffering.
The donkey had an infestation of parasites and had become malnourished. In his poor condition, wounds from his harness and from being beaten had left the donkey in terrible pain by the time he arrived at our clinic.
Medical care
Our vets were able to provide an anthelmintic treatment for the parasites. They cleaned his wounds to reduce the risk of infection and soothed them by applying a zinc-oxide ointment. The owner was given a supply of the ointment to continue the treatment at home. With the clinic attending this particular area of Awassa every fortnight, the owner is now making return visits, so the future is looking much brighter for this and many other donkeys in this area.
Your support
Many millions of donkeys work tirelessly in developing countries and due to the sheer hard work they endure have a life expectancy of just 10 years compared the 30 years or more that donkeys can enjoy when given the right care and quality of life.
We are thankful for your support, which enables us to reach out to alleviate their suffering and to enter into trusting relationships with the donkey-owning communities to make improvements for the future.
How much does it cost?
The Donkey Sanctuary cannot fulfil its mission to protect donkeys worldwide without the support we receive from the public. Regular donations are especially helpful in enabling us to plan for the future and save on administration costs.
- £5 could buy 1 fly mask for 1 donkey to help prevent fly-borne infections.
- £10 could purchase essential care 'kits' to help working donkeys overseas.
- £20 could help improve harnesses for working donkeys overseas allowing them to work in comfort.
- £30 could help to provide water troughs for thirsty donkeys.
- £50 could help purchase essential medicines and veterinary supplies for hard working donkeys overseas.
Donation enquiries
If you have any queries regarding making a donation, please contact us.
About our work in Ethiopia
The Donkey Sanctuary established links with the Addis Ababa University’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Debre Zeit near the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in 1986, providing funding for jointly-agreed projects to improve donkey health and welfare. The first mobile clinic began visiting the surrounding area in 1994, and in 1999 a new donkey clinic was built in the grounds of the Veterinary Faculty compound providing operating theatres, laboratories and training facilities. Since then the Ethiopia operation has expanded into the Amhara region in the north-west of Ethiopia, the Tigray region in the north, and the SNNPRS (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State). We now have seven vets, two education/extension officers and a harness maker based at Debre Zeit, and an additional clinic at the nearby Merkato Market. We also have a vet and assistant, education/extension officer and harness/pack saddle maker in each of the three other regions. Our work takes staff to different locations including markets, watering-points, vet clinics, schools and farmers’ training centres; the teams who visit will vary according to the combination of vet/education/harness work needed.
