Donkeys are among the most numerous and most overlooked working animals globally, with an estimated 40 million carrying loads in some of the harshest conditions on Earth.
Working donkeys exist in a welfare crisis largely invisible to the Western world. They are often overloaded, dehydrated, worked through injury, and denied basic veterinary care. Donkeys do not express pain dramatically — their stoic nature means they continue working even with serious conditions. The Donkey Sanctuary and Brooke Animal Health work in dozens of countries training owners in basic welfare and providing field veterinary care.