Zambezi Working Donkey Project finished 2020 with a festive clinic
AAA partner group, the Zambezi Working Donkey Project had a busy December - here is their latest update:
"The month of December was extremely busy for our team with several village clinics, check-ups, training days and drop-ins at the farm, as well as more emergency rescue cases. In total, during this period we checked and treated a total of 194 donkeys and provided 7 new sets of harness.
Our ‘Festive Clinic’ took place at Muchinga village on 22nd December and was very well attended. The day was planned to celebrate working donkeys and the progress made during 2020, despite the difficult times. There were 55 carts brought to the clinic, and ALL of them had harnesses! This was amazing to see as when we held our first clinic in that village 18 months ago, we found only wooden ox-yokes. We inspected the carts/harnesses and gave owners further advice for improvements. We were accompanied by a vet who worked non-stop for 5 hours and managed to de-worm, dip and provide other treatment for 173 donkeys! The de-worming is especially important as there is lots of green grass now and this will ensure they get most of the nutrients. We also held a prize giving where we awarded owners whose donkeys are in the best health, and those who have improved since we met them. This was really well received, and 6 owners were delighted to receive top prizes of ‘goody buckets’ containing seeds, tools, solar lights and sanitising products.
Later in the day we were called to a nearby house where we were horrified to find 4 very sick and injured donkeys. The wounds (causes unknown but definitely intentional) were some of the worst we’ve seen and all were in need of urgent veterinary treatment. The owner was not around but with the help of the Senior Headman and vet onsite we loaded them into our trailer and brought them back to the farm. The following day (after many hours treating wounds) I filed a formal complaint with Livingstone Police and the Stock Control Officer came to inspect the donkeys himself. It was agreed that this was an extreme case of animal abuse and the owner was taken into custody. The donkeys have now been signed over permanently to ZWDP, as well as a 5th donkeys who we collected later. Police action is always our last resort and we will be working more closely with community leaders to communicate the seriousness of animal abuse and the consequences thereof.
In regard to the previous foal who was rescued with the severed foot, Peggy, she is doing well and we are exploring the options to provide her with a prosthetic boot. Donkeys carry most weight on their front legs so we have to be conscious that there will be extra pressure on her other limbs and this can cause problems as she gets older. Our rescue facilities at the farm are becoming very crowded now and vets bills are increasing! We are working on our budget for 2021 which will be focused on getting the most impact out of donor funding and exploring other ways to subsidise the day to day running of the rescue centre and veterinary treatment.
2020 was a tumultuous year for everyone and especially the NGO sector, which saw declining donations as an impact of COVID-19. We are very conscious of how lucky we are to be supported by Animal Aid Abroad and grateful for the regular funding which enables us to continue the mobile-clinic work. Being able to reach donkeys and their owners within their communities is vital and because of the funding we have been able to make a different to the lives of hundreds of donkeys."
