In-depth review of animal welfare in Burkina Faso, including livestock systems, wildlife under pressure, and welfare challenges in a country facing humanitarian crisis.
Burkina Faso faces compounding animal welfare crises: a severe humanitarian emergency driven by jihadist insurgency, climate-driven drought and desertification, and high livestock dependency in an economy where animals are primary wealth stores for millions of people.
Livestock contributes approximately 15% of Burkina Faso's GDP and is the primary livelihood for millions of rural households. The national herd includes over 9 million cattle, 15 million small ruminants, and 35 million poultry. Traditional extensive systems dominate, with animals managed by Fulani pastoralists and sedentary Mossi farmers. The coexistence of these groups over access to land and water is a source of significant conflict, resulting in attacks on herders and livestock.
Since 2015, jihadist insurgency has displaced millions of people and devastated livestock-dependent communities. Over 2 million people are internally displaced, with livestock herds abandoned or stolen during displacement. Veterinary services have collapsed in vast areas of the north and east. Animals left behind during displacement face starvation, disease, and predation. Humanitarian organizations have incorporated livestock emergency response into aid programs, distributing veterinary supplies and providing emergency fodder.
Burkina Faso harbors important wildlife populations in the W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) complex, a transboundary protected area shared with Benin and Niger. Elephants, lions, hippopotamuses, and West African cheetahs find refuge here. The WAP complex is home to the last viable lion population in West Africa. However, ranger protection has been severely compromised by security conditions, and poaching has increased significantly. Wildlife tourism, once an important revenue source, has largely ceased due to insecurity.
Village poultry—chickens and guinea fowl—represent important food security assets for rural households. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 has caused significant poultry mortality in recent outbreaks, causing welfare suffering and devastating household food security. Vaccination coverage is low. Local breeds are relatively hardy but face welfare challenges in uncontrolled scavenging systems during disease outbreaks.
Donkeys, horses, and oxen are essential working animals in Burkina Faso's agricultural system. Traction animals perform field work that would otherwise require motorized equipment unavailable to smallholder farmers. Working animal welfare—particularly harness sores, overloading, and lack of veterinary care—is a persistent concern. The Donkey Sanctuary and local NGOs provide training and veterinary support.
Animal welfare advocacy is extremely limited given the humanitarian crisis. Société Protectrice des Animaux du Burkina (SPA-B) provides some companion animal welfare services in Ouagadougou. International veterinary NGOs including VÉTÉRINAIRES SANS FRONTIÈRES work on livestock health in accessible regions. The primary focus is on food security and disease control rather than welfare improvement per se.
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