Donkeys are working animals for millions of families in the developing world and companions in wealthy countries; their welfare needs are distinct from horses and often overlooked.
Donkey welfare falls between multiple gaps: too small to attract the regulatory attention given to horses, too common in the developing world to receive the welfare investment directed at companion animals in wealthy countries. Working donkeys in low-income communities often carry loads beyond safe limits on inadequate feed with no veterinary care — not from cruelty but from poverty and lack of knowledge. Improving working donkey welfare requires community-based veterinary outreach, harness design improvements, and owner education. In wealthy countries, companion donkeys need their own welfare standards that recognise their social, nutritional, and behavioural distinctiveness from horses.