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A local NGO says it is targeting to provide free clinical treatment and care to 35 000 donkeys countrywide, the working animals that offer important support for the lives and livelihoods of rural communities.
Animal and Wildlife Area Research and Rehabilitation (AWARE), director, Dr Keith Dutlow said this at an event to open an education centre for children at the Lion Park in Harare recently.
“Last year we treated about 28 000 donkeys in all the country’s 10 provinces and this year we are targeting to treat 35 000 donkeys as part of our efforts to provide treatment and care to the working animals,” says the animal rights lobbyist and wildlife veterinarian.
“It’s an opportunity to examine each donkey that comes to us for health checks. Sometimes owners are not aware that their animals are sick. Half the times they are not aware and this will certainly give us an opportunity to treat all animals.”
Zimbabwe has a donkey population of more than 150 000. The population of donkeys in the country is probably an under estimate, and Dr Dutlow says the country needs to conduct a survey to ascertain the numbers and help provide information that is critical for the treatment and care of the “beast of burden.”
“A survey has not been done for decades and we need to do it now to help us plan and enhance our treatment and care of the donkeys,” says prominent veterinarian who has been part of a passionate group of wildlife experts to save Zimbabwe’s animals.
“Donkeys have huge benefits for our rural communities and economies. Good protection and care of donkeys means more benefits for our communities and their livelihoods.”
The Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA) is providing funding support to AWARE to provide free veterinary treatment for donkeys in areas such as Buhera, Chipinge, Beitbridge, Chivi, Gokwe, Gweru, Muzarabani and other rural districts.
AWARE rural mobile donkey clinics will provide veterinary care, dental care, hoof trimming, wound treatment and deworming, as well as instruction on proper handling techniques and care of the animals.
“Our initial assessment of the donkey population revealed a complete lack of preventive healthcare such as vaccinations and deworming,” says Dr Erick Mutizhe, a senior vet for the SPANA Zimbabwe programme.
“The most common health problems were infected wounds from carrying heavy loads on their backs. Many donkeys suffered from painful lesions that require treatment. . . . In addition to treating individual animals, education on prevention will be a critically important part of the project.”
In addition, he says, the outreach programme will also do rabbies vaccinations in areas that interface with wildlife.
“The biggest threat to the donkey population in Zimbabwe is ill-treatment,” says Dr Mutizhe. “People often beat the animals causing bruises and wounds. They also overwork the animals, parking donkeys in the sun and leaving them for hours without food and water. We need to take care of the animals and when we do this, we get better returns from them.”
In most rural parts of Zimbabwe, especially in dry regions where agriculture is always difficult, donkeys are overworked and abused, forced to carry heavy loads over long distances with little or no rest, food or water.
AWARE works with local communities to educate them about the care and protection of animals, and how to provide shelter for animals and much needed food, water and care.
Despite the great contribution made by donkeys to the daily life of rural people, especially women, Dr Dutlow says, they suffer the dual negative impact of low social status and poor management.
These factors, he says, can significantly reduce their work output and constrain the full contribution that donkeys could be making in support of rural livelihoods.
He says improvement of management practices, particularly treatment and control of hind legs/ back sores by use of proper harnesses as well as feed supplementation are required to enable better performance of donkeys. Donkeys play a vital role in rural economies through the provision of draught power and transport.
Compared to other working animals, donkeys contribute the major proportion of readily available transport needs of poor women and men living in hostile environments.
This, veterinarians say, enables them to integrate into the country’s social and economic processes.
In addition to their popularity in the transport sector, donkeys are preferred for their disease resistance and hardiness by rural communities. Donkeys are preferred to other working animals because of their affordability, survivability, docile nature and ease of training and handling. – Zimpapers Syndication
Bongani Ndlovu