Donkeys have been described as “working animals” for the various duties they perform
Sifelani Tsiko Herald Correspondent —
A local non-Governmental organisation says it is targeting to provide free clinical treatment and care to 35 000 donkeys countrywide. Donkeys have grown to be Zimbabwe’s 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 the programme was part of efforts to provide treatment and care to the animals.
He was speaking at an event to open an education centre for children at the Lion and Cheetah Park in the capital.
“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,” said 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 is probably an under estimate, and Dr Dutlow said Zimbabwe 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,” he said.
The prominent veterinarian has been part of a passionate group of wildlife experts trying 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, Beit Bridge, Chivi, Gokwe, Gweru, Muzarabani and other rural districts.
AWARE rural mobile donkey clinics will provide veterinary care, dental care, hoof trimming, wound treatment and de-worming, as well as instruction on proper handling techniques and care of the animals.
Donkeys in most parts of Zimbabwe are vital to the livelihood of their owners, carrying supplies and providing transportation and farming support.
“Our initial assessment of the donkey population revealed a complete lack of preventive healthcare such as vaccinations and de-worming,” said 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,” said 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 said, 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.
The ability of donkey to thrive on poor quality minimally supplemented feeds has also made them popular especially in areas were the conditions are harsher and where feed shortages can seasonally become a critical problem.
Donkeys have been reported to survive better under drought condition than any livestock species due to their small body size and low dry matter intake requirements minimizing their water and maintenance needs in arid and semi-arid areas, experts say.
Dr Dutlow said one of the most important problems in promoting donkeys is the lack of knowledge about their socio-economic status, husbandry and health needs.
He said there is also a lack of knowledge on improved saddling and harnessing techniques that will reduce the back and hind leg sores that donkeys often suffer from.
“Knowledge and understanding of our donkeys is important. With proper treatment and care owners can derive better benefits through the provision of improved pack and draft power and efficiency,” he said.
Jeremy Hulme, chief executive of SPANA, on a visit to Zimbabwe, says it is important to provide free veterinary care support for the working animals of the poor who depend on them for their survival.
“We need to support the poor and help them look after their donkeys which provide them with vital draught power and numerous other benefits,” he said.
“As SPANA we will continue to support AWARE as it is strives to protect livestock of the poor. When ever, we can, we will do our best to support the protection and care of donkeys in Zimbabwe.”
Globally, SPANA runs a network of fixed and mobile veterinary clinics treating more than 400 000 working animals. — Zimpapers Syndication.