The estimated 40-50 million working donkeys globally face welfare challenges including overloading, inadequate hoof care, poor harness fit, and limited access to veterinary treatment in low-income contexts.
Working donkey welfare is inextricably linked to the livelihoods of some of the world's most economically vulnerable human communities. Improving welfare without understanding this context is both ineffective and ethically incomplete. The most successful programs take a community development approach: providing veterinary training, harness improvement tools, and workload guidance in ways that improve donkey health while maintaining or improving their economic productivity for dependent families. Donkeys kept healthy work more productively and for longer, creating welfare and economic alignment when approached correctly.