An estimated 40 million working donkeys worldwide face severe welfare challenges including overloading, wounds, lack of veterinary care, and inadequate nutrition.
Working donkeys underpin the livelihoods of some of the world's most economically vulnerable people. Their welfare and the welfare of the families that depend on them are closely linked — a sick or lame donkey can collapse an entire household income. Community-based programs providing basic veterinary care, harness fitting training, and load assessment tools have demonstrated dramatic welfare improvements achievable at very low cost. Donkey welfare is inseparable from development priorities in the communities that depend on them.