Working Animals: Powering Developing Nations
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Around 100 million of working animals- horses, donkeys, oxen and mules are the engines that power the developing world by laboring on its farms and roads. Hundreds of millions of poor people depend on these animals for their livelihoods. They transport everything from people, produce and building materials to food, water and even fuel.
Mule Overloaded with over 800kg of Sugar
They are the key means by which the agriculture and food distribution systems in poor nations function. They enable crops to be sown, to be transported from field to market, and, from market to home. Donkeys’ assistance in traditionally time consuming and arduous domestic chores like fetching water from often distant sources and gathering firewood helps give women and their daughters more time and opportunity to earn extra money for community involvement. This is an important aspect of raising female status.
‘For us women a donkey should be our first friend for it takes away the loads that used to crush our backs’ said a woman participant in Limuru, Kenya during a donkey Humane Education campaign by Africa Network for Animal Welfare. Welfare Even as the working animals become more important in developing countries to alleviate poverty, assure food security and promote self reliance, their welfare continues to deteriorate in the hands of brutal, crude and careless owners and users.
The working animals are overworked and endure whipping to force them to walk faster with heavy loads on the rough terrain and high slopes. They are made to work even when they have injuries that include swollen necks due to overloading/overworking and wounded backs as a result of whipping.
They go for years without a visit to the vet. The many hours spent working is rarely compensated by sufficient feeding and rest. In essence all their five freedoms are abused with impunity.
Could owners and users of working animals STOP THIS WICKEDNESS? Humane Education by animal welfare organizations in Africa is key to influencing these much needed attitude change. This will ensure that animals are respected and treated humanely as sentient beings.
