A small village in Morocco relies on donkeys like Lalla to collect clean, safe water. A hoof infection made it difficult for her to carry her load, so her owner brought her to our Chemaia centre for help.
Lalla is a 14-year-old donkey who works hard transporting water to her rural village in Morocco. This is a crucial job as there is no piped water supply to homes in her remote village of Midate, in central-northern Morocco, near the high plains surrounding the Moulouya River.
People in the community depend entirely on donkeys like Lalla to deliver water. This challenging and essential work not only allows families to access water, but also helps Lalla’s owner, Zineb, earn an income to support her family.
Zineb became concerned when she noticed that Lalla was limping, so she brought her to our centre in Chemaia for help. At the centre, our vets carefully examined Lalla, diagnosing her with a fungal infection in her left front hoof, and lameness. Our team gave her a course of treatment for her infection, trimmed her overgrown hooves to make sure they were well balanced and fitted her with an orthopaedic shoe. They also replaced her worn headcollar so she would be more comfortable.
Zineb said: “I am always very happy to come here to the centre. The team is very welcoming. Lalla is very close to my heart.”
Working animals quietly support the livelihoods of millions of people around the world. It is often working animals who transport much-needed water, supporting communities facing water shortages due to poor infrastructure and a lack of piped water. The climate crisis is making the situation worse, as an increase in extreme weather such as droughts and heatwaves can lead to greater water scarcity.
We’re committed to transforming the lives of working animals around the world, but we can’t do it without your help. It’s thanks to your continued support that our teams can help working animals who transport water, like Lalla.
