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Sindisiwe Sibanda, Sunday News Reporter
A LOCAL animal rights organisation has been holding a series of workshops and awareness campaigns across Matabeleland provinces, in a bid to change people’s perceptions and teaching them how to care for their animals.
Matabeleland Animal Rescue and Equine Sanctuary (MARES) in partnership with a United Kingdom-based organisation — Society for the Protection of Animals (SPANA), has been embarking on campaigns to teach donkey owners about the correct way of fitting harnesses without hurting them.
Mares founder and director Mrs Claire Einhorn told Sunday News in an interview that both organisations have been working effortlessly to increase awareness about the importance of the animal.
“Mares embarked on a campaign 18 months ago to change the way of not only providing and teaching owners of donkeys about the correct fitting harnesses but to also change the way the donkeys were being hitched to scotch carts. Most of the time four donkeys are hitched to a scotch cart but only two donkeys in the middle attached to the scotch cart with a yoke and strap are actually taking the weight and pulling the cart.
“The donkeys on the outer part have less weight and work. This is because their need has been lost in translation. That is to say long ago when traveling with donkeys, every 10kms the scotch cart driver would stop and test his four donkeys and change the two inner donkeys for the two outer donkeys,” said Mrs Einhorn.
She said as a result donkey owners were under the impression that four donkeys could, in unison pull heavier loads.
“That is not the case at all. If only two donkeys are yoked to the scotch cart then they can carry and pull a combined weight of 40 percent of their weight put together. For example two donkeys each weighing 150 kilogrammes can carry a combined weight of 120 kilogrammes (60kgs each). By adhering to the above it will alleviate the many pressure injuries on the donkey’s neck, knees and back.
“Secondly, we teach the correct way of hitching. Again 100 years ago all scotch carts had swindle-trees (a small hardwood pole approximately 50cm that was attached to the cart). The side straps (now chain is used) are attached to the swindle trees, which allow free movement of the harness with the donkey,” said Mrs Einhorn.
She added that over the years the length of the chains had become shorter, which then made the donkeys too close to the cart, making them susceptible to injuries on the back of the legs, sometimes even breaking the donkey’s legs.
“Through our outreach programme, we are making these changes, which will help not just the donkeys but their owners too. MARES and its partners and funders will be holding more campaigns and workshops in rural areas to help and educate people,” said Mrs Einhorn.
She said this week they will also hold a workshop and campaign in Manicaland province, where they will hold a workshop at Birchenough Bridge.
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