Zambezi Working Donkey Project - October Report 2022

Following is the October 2022 report from AAA partner group, the Zambezi Working Donkey Project.

During October our team treated 84 donkeys through mobile clinics – in addition to looking after the 17 long-term rescued donkeys at Maramba Farm. Treatments includes dipping, de-worming, and wound care. They also educate owners about the correct care of working donkeys and provide guidance on using and correctly loading scotch carts. We made and issued 5 sets of new humane harnesses and fixed a further 23 sets.

October is the hottest month of the year in Zambia, but the hard work does not cease for working donkeys. There is less food, less water, less shade. Yet they are still forced to carry heavy loads many miles to market, often being left all day with nothing to eat or drink before undertaking the same gruelling journey home to the village, where again there is little to eat. Our team spend a lot of time visiting the markets, monitoring the health of donkeys and speaking to their owners.

We took in two rescue cases this month. The first is a small foal we have named ‘Mango’ - after the young fruit growing on the tress this time of year! Mango’s owner called us to the village as the donkeys’ front lower leg had been broken. Unfortunately, the break happened two months ago and the bone had already set, meaning there is little we can do to put it right. We will release the mother back to her owner once the baby is weaned and will monitor Mango’s development. Her future isn’t certain at this stage.

The other rescue, ‘White’, was a terrible case of abuse that our team found one day at Libuyu market. The users of the donkey were unremorseful, so they were taken to the police and we pressed charges. The donkey is in our care at Maramba Farm, but we are told it must be returned once it is healthy again.

We cannot keep donkeys permanently unless they are confiscated through the courts, released voluntarily by their owners, or we purchase them at the market rate. The price of donkeys in Zambia has doubled in the last year due to the Chinese skins trade so owners will not let their donkeys go easily. One of the things we’d like to do is to raise some money so that we have a contingency fund to ensure donkeys who have suffered abuse can live the rest of their days in peace!