Zambezi Working Donkey Project - March Update

On 26th March, the Zambezi Working Donkey Project team held a mobile clinic, and a meeting with community leaders, in the village of Mutonga, to discuss the laws around animal welfare and penal code for community members who are found to have caused wilful neglect or injury to their animals. In the past 3 years since we have worked in the area around Mutonga we have seen a vast improvement in the welfare of working donkeys. Many owners now have a good understanding of how to keep their donkeys fit and healthy, and attendance at clinics is high. However, we have seen some people returning to the use of ox-yokes and in some cases, for example where there is a neighbourly dispute, resorting to punishing their foes by physically assaulting their donkeys. In Zambia (like most countries) there are very strict laws about Animals Welfare but these are rarely known or understood. Our meeting with the Headmen and others was a big step forward in understanding the issues and now a program of sensitisation will take place, with the penal code for acts of cruelty clearly communicated. 

Thank you so much to the donors of Animal Aid Abroad – your support is making a big impact on the lives of working donkeys here in Zambia.