An estimated 40 million donkeys work in developing countries, many experiencing serious welfare problems from overloading, inadequate veterinary care, and poor harness fit.
Working donkey welfare encompasses chronic pain from overloading and harness injury, inadequate nutrition, and lack of veterinary care. Back sores from overloading cause persistent pain that owners may not recognise because donkeys, like all prey species, conceal suffering. Hoof care is widely neglected, causing painful conditions that impair work capacity and welfare simultaneously. Community-based veterinary training and harness fitting programmes delivered by the Donkey Sanctuary have demonstrated that welfare improvements are achievable in low-income contexts with minimal cost. Improved donkey welfare directly benefits the livelihoods of millions of rural families who depend on these animals.