End of life decision making involves a complex navigation of emotional, logistical, cultural, societal and economic influences. Even when veterinary resources are readily available, such as in higher income countries, the decision to euthanise an animal is fraught with constraints and barriers which leave equids at end-of-life susceptible to suffering.
As a welfare organisation The Donkey Sanctuary seeks to improve the lives of donkeys and mules worldwide. The aim of this research was to understand what end of life may look like for working mules in Nepal. In the mountains of Gorkha region, Nepal, we investigated how rural communities decide when a working mule’s working and physical life is enduringly concluded, the impacts
this has on the people who work with them, and what implications this has for the welfare of their mules.
End of life, a good death? Interconnecting lives and implications for mule (Equus Asinus X Equus Caballus) welfare at end of life in Nepal
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