Every day, working animals across the world transport large and heavy loads throughout their communities. Without these animals many essentials, such as firewood or water tanks, would be inaccessible
But despite the essential role they play, access to the care they need is often out of reach.
At Working Animals International, we won’t let them be overlooked. By working alongside a network of partners around the world, we’re increasing access to essential veterinary care for working animals in need and supporting owners as they develop the knowledge and skills to look after their animals with confidence and care.
We’re creating lasting change for working animals, promoting long-term solutions by campaigning for better welfare standards, providing animal welfare education to schoolchildren, and helping communities prepare and respond to emergencies so they can provide urgent relief to animals in crisis.
Together, we’re lightening the load for working animals by transforming their welfare so they can live a healthy and valued life.
Supporting animal owners
Patience, from Zimbabwe, relies on her working donkey to help her transport heavy goods in her cart. But her partnership with her animal goes beyond their daily work life: “Donkeys are important to our area. When someone fell sick, I used the donkey-driven cart to go to the hospital.” She has even relied on her donkey to transport her to the closest medical care when she was in labour and ready to give birth.
And while working donkeys are important in supporting the whole community, they are instrumental in giving women and girls the opportunity and independence to work, go to school and provide for their families – something that, without working animals, may only be available to men. “A donkey is a valuable asset to a person. But as I see it, donkeys are most valuable to women, because it does not require strength to use it.”
Melody, also from Zimbabwe, appreciates the opportunities her working donkeys give her to provide for herself and her community. “Ploughing is the most important task we use our donkeys for. But it is important to note that donkeys are not confined to assisting a single person or household, they assist the community as a whole.”
Both Patience and Melody have benefitted from the presence of Working Animals International and our local partners in ensuring their animals are healthy and valued. Melody says “When our donkeys are sick, we take them to the donkey clinic. These doctors specialise in donkeys. When we didn’t have access to these veterinary doctors our donkeys would fall sick. Their assistance is giving our donkeys the chance to live a comfortable life.”
“I love and value my donkeys. I love them as much as I love my own child. I just want to see them in good health.”
Patience recognises that the impact of our local partners goes beyond just veterinary care for her animals. “We have people who come through to the community and host donkey clinics. If the donkeys have wounds, they will be treated. But it also becomes an opportunity for us to strengthen the information shared with us. When they visit, they take the time to teach us about wound management and ask us questions to see if we understand. I can now treat my donkeys and know types of wounds and illnesses.”
Zimbabwe
We have worked with our local partner in Zimbabwe since 2013 to provide veterinary assistance and drive improvements in working animal welfare.
In addition to operating mobile clinics, which help provide veterinary treatments to working animals across the country, we engage schoolchildren in animal welfare education clubs and provide community members with information so they can make informed choices to improve the welfare of their animals.
We have also piloted programmes in disaster risk reduction so that communities can prepare for events outside of their control – such as droughts and floods.
You can find out more about our campaign, and the other essential roles that working animals play around the world, by visiting our Impossible to Overlook page.