How donkeys serve as essential working animals for millions of families in low-income countries and what effective welfare interventions look like.
Working donkeys in low-income countries represent one of the largest and most tractable welfare improvement opportunities globally. The animals experience chronic welfare problems — overloading, inadequate nutrition, untreated wounds, and poor hoof care — that are often addressable through relatively simple, low-cost interventions: harness modification, basic wound treatment, and nutritional guidance. Organisations like The Donkey Sanctuary and Brooke Animal Healthcare have demonstrated that community-based programmes training animal owners in donkey care produce lasting welfare improvements. The economic relationship between donkey welfare and family productivity creates natural incentives for welfare improvement when knowledge and resources are available.