An estimated 40 million working donkeys and mules provide essential transport and agricultural labor in developing countries, often under conditions that cause chronic pain, exhaustion, and premature death.
Working donkey welfare is inseparable from the economics of poverty in the communities that depend on them. Owners who cannot afford veterinary care or replacement equipment allow welfare problems to worsen because they have no alternative — the donkey must work regardless of its condition. This creates a welfare and poverty trap where sick animals are less productive, reducing family income, reducing capacity to care for animals, and worsening animal condition. Interventions that provide free or subsidized veterinary care, harness improvement training, and owner education break this cycle and simultaneously improve human and animal welfare.