Donkeys work alongside hundreds of millions of people in low-income countries but often receive inadequate rest, nutrition, and veterinary care resulting in preventable suffering.
Donkey welfare is a significant global issue that receives far less attention than the scale of suffering warrants. Working donkeys are the primary transport and agricultural asset for millions of families in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. When donkeys become too ill or lame to work, family livelihoods are directly affected, creating both an animal welfare and human welfare crisis. Common welfare problems — overgrowth hooves causing lameness, skin wounds from ill-fitting equipment, overloading beyond donkey capacity — are preventable with basic farriery and equipment access. Community-level welfare programs that provide simple interventions — hoof trimming, harness fitting, wound treatment — have demonstrated dramatic improvements in donkey welfare and working lifespan with modest resources.