special community event celebrates working donkeys in south africa
In South Africa, the dedicated team at Blind Love are continuing to transform the lives of working equines through nurturing care, dignity and better welfare. During July, they provided veterinary care and treatment for 71 horses and 54 donkeys. They also participated in a special community event, which helped to celebrate donkeys!
See how your heartfelt support is improving the lives of working animals in South Africa:
WORKING HORSE PROGRAM
Locations: Thaba ‘Nchu, Botshabelo, Cart Horse Rank and surrounding rural villages.
Total Horses Treated in July = 71
Seven outreach days were conducted in July. A rural outreach was held in Zone 1 outside of Botshabelo, while all remaining days took place at the Thaba ‘Nchu Horse Rank in town.
A total of 71 horses received treatment through the outreach programme during July. Owners also continued bringing horses to the Horse Care Station between outreach clinics for follow-up treatment.
Across all outreach clinics, and at the Horse Care Station, horses received:
• General health assessments,
• Internal and external parasite control,
• Cleaning and treatment of minor wounds,
• Hoof inspections and trimming where required,
• Harness and tack assessments, with replacement harnesses provided where necessary.
With July falling in the middle of winter in the Free State, no new cases of African Horse Sickness were reported. Cooler temperatures also resulted in far fewer flies and ticks than during the warmer months.
The majority of horses presented with minor wounds requiring cleaning, treatment and owner education regarding ongoing wound management. Saddle sores continued to be the most frequently-encountered welfare concern, with owners regularly bringing their animals to the Horse Care Station between outreach clinics for follow-up care.
Recognising the additional nutritional challenges faced during winter, feed was distributed to working cart horses on 25th July to help support their condition during this period of limited grazing.
Overall, July proved to be a relatively uneventful month, with routine preventative healthcare, wound management and owner education continuing as usual.
WORKING DONKEY PROGRAM
Locations: Makhanda (Grahamstown), Eastern Cape
July was an especially memorable month for the Working Donkey Programme, as our monthly outreach was combined with a Mandela Day community event. This year, the spirit of giving back was celebrated on 18th July via the theme of dedicating 67 minutes of service to the community.
Local community members were invited to bring paint and brushes along to help give the Donkey Care Station a fresh coat of paint. They were also encouraged to meet the donkeys and their owners, and bring carrots for the animals!
On the day, donkey owners enthusiastically participated by repainting their carts and carrying out tyre repairs and maintenance. The morning concluded with snacks and cool drinks for everyone, creating a wonderful community atmosphere.
The day began with a colourful parade along Makana Way, led by a pony at the front, followed by 22 donkey carts making their way to the Care Station.
A total of 54 donkeys attended the outreach clinic in July.
Routine activities on the day included:
• General health assessments,
• Internal and external parasite treatment,
• Cleaning and treatment of wounds and minor injuries,
• Hoof care where required,
• Harness and tack inspections,
• Harness replacement and adjustments where necessary.
Thanks to the generosity of local volunteers, the Donkey Care Station now has a beautiful fresh coat of paint!
Kwe Kwe Finds a Forever Home
One of July’s highlights was welcoming a recently-rescued orphaned foal to Blind Love’s sanctuary.
After the owner decided he no longer wished to keep the youngster, the foal was transferred permanently to our sanctuary on 1st July.
He has been named Kwe Kwe, meaning “small boy”, in memory of Boy, the much-loved donkey who he bonded with during his first weeks at the Donkey Care Station before Boy was sadly euthanised.
Kwe Kwe has settled in beautifully and now shares his paddock with Percy, who has quickly taken on the role of his attentive guardian!
Infrastructure Improvements
The final stage of the Donkey Care Station infrastructure project has been completed, with the installation of a new water tank, guttering and plumbing.
The system is now fully operational and ready to harvest rainwater, providing an important long-term water supply for animals at the Care Station.
Feed Deliveries
Feed was delivered to the Donkey Care Station on two occasions during July, with lucerne pellets and teff hay supplied to support any donkeys receiving rehabilitation and long-term care.
Overall Summary
Working Horse Program:
• 71 horses treated through outreach activities.
• Routine parasite control, wound care and hoof trimming continued throughout July.
• Harnesses replaced where required and tack assessed.
• Feed distributed to working horses during the winter grazing shortage.
• Owners continued bringing horses to the Horse Care Station for follow-up treatment of saddle sores and other minor wounds.
• No new African Horse Sickness cases reported during July.
Working Donkey Program:
• 54 donkeys treated during the Mandela Day outreach clinic.
• Successful Mandela Day community event with 22 donkey carts participating in a parade to the Donkey Care Station.
• Community volunteers repainted the Donkey Care Station, while donkey owners repaired and repainted their carts.
• Orphaned foal, Kwe Kwe, was transferred permanently to the Blind Love Sanctuary.
• Water tank, guttering and plumbing installed to complete the Care Station water harvesting system.
• Feed deliveries of lucerne pellets and teff hay continued throughout the month.
Acknowledgement
Blind Love would like to sincerely thank Animal Aid Abroad for your continued support of both our Working Horse and Working Donkey Programmes.
Your assistance also continues to strengthen our Community Care Stations, allowing us to provide emergency treatment, daily nursing care and long-term rehabilitation for injured or neglected working donkeys, while responding to the changing needs of both working horses and donkeys throughout the year.
Thank you again for your incredible support!