Mares Zimbabwe October 2022 Report - Part Two

Part Two of Mares Zimbabwe October 2022 Report:

VICTORIA FALLS OUTREACH

Our team were left at the VAWS Clinic in Lesidi to attend to the 10 scotch carts and donkeys to have new padded harnesses whilst Mrs. Danks of VAWS and myself attended Victoria Falls first court case against donkey cruelty.  We are happy to say that we won the case against M. Mlele who was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment, 3 of them suspended for 2 years and the courts ordered his donkeys to be removed from his care for good.  Mr. Mlele didn't seem to understand that the donkeys were to be taken for him and approached us after the court hearing to say that he wants to sell his donkeys to us!   The donkeys have been taken to VAWS where they have been retired and will live their days out at VAWS.  As harsh as this was, it has set a precedence and Victoria Falls Municipal Council has now banned all scotch carts and donkeys entering the municipal town.  We are overjoyed with this news as it will definitely stop the overloaded scotch carts that was causing so many injuries to the donkeys. 

BULAWAYO OUTREACH

Mares has continued to receive severely inured and axed donkeys from the townships and surrounding areas.  Speak Out for Animals (SOFA) and MARES have collaborated to hold a final stakeholders meeting on 28 November with the ZRP Police and Bulawayo City Council to get the Council to enforce their by law of no donkeys and carts entering the townships.  Sadly this week alone, we collected a snared donkey with horrific barbed wire lacerations, another donkey axed severely 3 times, in the head, shoulder and wither and just yesterday a donkey who was axed through the spine leaving him for 2 days completely paralyzied.  We collected him and humanely euthanized him. 

Our ongoing relation with SOFA is of utmost importance to ensure that our police force and council are educated on the welfare of our donkeys and that they will co operate with MARES under The Cruelty to Animals Act.