Nepal Report

A few weeks ago we received four unusual guests at the Godavari Donkey Sanctuary. Four horses, including a beautiful Marwari horse called Shekhar, had to be rescued from Nagarkot, a tourist destination, some 35 km from our sanctuary. They were abandoned by their owner and were left to scavenge. Although we have very little space and were concerned about how the donkeys would react, we decided to bring them to our shelter.

There was no reason to worry. After a stand off of a few hours, the donkeys started to greet the horses. Soon Tika, a lame mule, became close buddies with Shekhar. It is heart warming to see how this shy, handicapped mule, who seemed at the end of its rope when she joined us a year ago, is now inseparable from a horse twice her size.

We received three more newcomers: Champi, Champa and Bruna, a sick, pregnant donkey who was abandoned by her owner. Bruna by now has fully recovered and we are excited about the upcoming birth!

Three donkeys, Naina, Bibi and Shakti, moved to Pauline’s Guesthouse, a lovely resort on the outskirts of the valley. We miss them very much but are encouraged to see how they love their new home.

Last month we welcomed a group of 30 upcoming vets from the Himalayan College for Agriculture Studies HICAST. The students in the morning joined a workshop with visiting advisor Dr Ramesh Kumar from Donkey Sanctuary with Animal Nepal’s Dr Sudeep, Krishna and Lucia. In the afternoon, after visiting Bol Bom brick factory the students got a chance to see our sanctuary, where they were briefed on equine welfare. A few students have committed to working with us as volunteers.

The brick making season will soon be over, and some 1500 equines will be transported back to the west of Nepal. Animal Nepal tried to convince the donkey owners of the 15 brick factories it works in to take care of their animals in Kathmandu, instead of taking them across the country. Only five owners agreed. The staff now work on a plan to transport the donkeys in a convoy, in which minimum standards such as regular watering and drinking, careful driving, and regular health check ups, are maintained. The district livestock officers are positive and Animal Nepal now actively lobbies with the quarantine department.

Back in Nepalgunj, Animal Nepal works both with the owners’ families and their equines. The families are organized in male and female groups, and offered skill training and incentives to send the children to school. Animal Nepal’s mobile clinics reach out to some 1500 donkeys that are abandoned on the street during the off season (May-December).