Progress in Tanzania

Tanzania Humane Charity (TAHUCHA) works in the Geita region of northern west Tanzania to improve the welfare of working donkeys in the area:
"Our main activity has been to treat donkeys, train the community and educate donkey owners to take care of their animals, and the result has been a legacy of good on-the-ground welfare for donkeys and improved livelihoods of people.
Whilst facing many significant challenges resulting from the global pandemic, we have still been able to make an incredible impact for working animals.
In collaboration with Animal Aid Abroad we have a number of projects implemented as follows:
First, new model carts and a new way of donkey harnessing,
Second, we have a sanctuary-based project for both seriously sick and badly injured donkeys to live permanently at a sanctuary and some hospitalised and returned to their owners.
Third, we have a mobile clinic/outreach program and emergency response team that also importantly provides humane treatment of animals education for children and donkey owners.

Issues in focus include:
Donkey wounds and pain as a result of ox yoke harnesses, overworking, overloading, beating and signs of diseases.
The main cause of these issues being lack of empathy, little awareness and poverty.
The sanctuary based project remains focused on rehabilitating sick and badly injured donkeys and other animals in need and is now providing shelter for 14 donkeys living permanently and 27 donkeys hospitalised that will return to their owners when they get better.
In Bukombe, within a month we have managed to treat 303 donkeys with various conditions in both mobile clinics/ outreach extending to the sanctuary for a few cases as a referral point.
Various conditions we noticed include, harness related sores, pains due to exhaustion but also beating from riders due to money and time pressure.
Among the 303 working donkeys we attended, some had both welfare and health problems that include lameness due to tendon exhaustion, heamatoma, infectious eye disease, dental problems, equine trips, babesiosis, tumor and trauma. Alongside treatment we provided humane education to 26 donkey riders and 49 children in 2 sessions. Knowing that it is an integral part of measures to address the issue of bad traditional practices was done in all sessions we conducted clinics.
We need to provide many hundreds of working donkeys with essential veterinary care, fresh drinking water, humane harnesses, blankets, padding and feed.
We have crucial work to get done for the enormous difference we make for working donkeys and dogs in need.
Thanks to Animal Aid Abroad in Australia for supporting TAHUCHA."