An estimated 40 million donkeys work as draught animals in low-income countries. Their welfare is deeply tied to owner livelihoods, requiring integrated approaches that improve animal welfare and human wellbeing together.
Working donkey welfare requires an integrated approach that recognises animal welfare and human poverty as deeply interconnected. In many communities, a healthy donkey is the difference between subsistence and destitution — families who cannot afford veterinary care for their working animals face a welfare-poverty spiral where untreated illness reduces work capacity, reducing income, further reducing ability to provide care. Community-based animal health worker programmes — training local people to identify common conditions and provide basic treatment — have proven highly cost-effective at improving welfare at scale. Simple harness modifications using locally available materials reduce sore prevalence dramatically. Water provision is critical; donkeys working in hot climates require 20-30 litres daily but are often denied adequate access. Cultural attitudes toward donkeys as low-status animals reduce perceived urgency of welfare investment; education programmes that link animal health directly to family income outcomes are most effective at changing behaviour.