Approximately 40 million donkeys work in low-income countries carrying loads, plowing fields, and transporting water — often in conditions that cause preventable suffering from overloading, dental disease, and harness injuries.
Donkeys are stoic by evolutionary design — in the wild, showing pain signals vulnerability. This means their suffering is frequently invisible to owners and even to veterinarians not specifically trained in donkey behavior. The ejiao trade has led to mass theft and slaughter of donkeys in Africa and South America, with brutal welfare conditions during collection and slaughter. Working donkeys frequently suffer from harness sores, overgrown hooves, dental disease, and worm burden — all preventable with basic veterinary care. Community-based farrier and veterinary programs delivered by organizations like The Donkey Sanctuary have demonstrated that affordable, accessible care can transform working donkey welfare at scale.