An estimated 44 million working donkeys provide essential livelihoods for millions of families in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Their welfare is often severely compromised by overwork, inadequate veterinary care, and poor harness fitting.
Working donkey welfare in low-resource settings is shaped by the intersection of poverty, cultural attitudes, and limited veterinary access. Owners who depend on donkeys for their livelihoods often have strong motivation to maintain animal health but lack the knowledge or resources to do so effectively. The silence of donkeys under pain and distress — evolved as an anti-predator strategy — means welfare problems progress unrecognised. Harness sores, hoof neglect, dental disease, and overwork cause chronic suffering across tens of millions of animals. Community-based welfare interventions that provide practical training, affordable veterinary outreach, and harness fitting guidance have demonstrated measurable improvements in welfare in Ethiopia, India, and Mexico, showing that welfare improvement is achievable even in resource-constrained settings.