Working donkeys carry heavy loads and are used for transport in developing countries, often without adequate veterinary care or recognition of their welfare needs.
Working donkey welfare is compromised by poverty, cultural attitudes that undervalue donkeys, and lack of access to veterinary care. Donkeys show stoic responses to pain that lead owners to underestimate their suffering, continuing to work animals with painful harness wounds, overgrown hooves, and untreated injuries. Organizations providing free veterinary treatment and owner education have documented dramatic improvements in working donkey welfare in targeted communities.