Over 44 million donkeys work in developing countries, providing essential transport and agricultural labour. Their welfare is often poor due to overwork, inadequate veterinary care and cultural attitudes toward working animals.
Working donkey welfare in developing countries is inseparable from poverty, cultural practice and access to veterinary care. These animals are essential economic assets for poor families - overworked because their owners depend on their labour, under-fed because food is scarce, and under-treated because veterinary care is inaccessible or unaffordable. Effective welfare improvement combines practical intervention (free harness assessment, first aid training, community veterinary provision) with economic development and cultural change. Approaches that blame owners for poor welfare without addressing the structural conditions that create it are both ineffective and unjust.