reaching donkeys in rural areas of zambia to improve welfare & owner education

The Zambezi Working Donkey Project (ZWDP) recently expanded their services into a rural area of Zambia called Mwandi. There is little knowledge of animal welfare here and the team found donkeys who were visibly exhausted, and covered with wounds caused by heavy ox yokes and whipping. Through veterinary care and owner education, ZWDP made a significant difference for these donkeys.

august overview

Firstly, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to AAA for standing alongside us. Your ongoing support allows ZWDP to keep making a real difference for donkeys in Zambia.

During August, our team attended to 89 working donkeys, dipping 52 animals and treating 29 for wounds.

We received six drop-in visits at Maramba Farm, where four new humane harnesses were issued and two were replaced.

The team also responded to an emergency call-out in Ngandu Village, where a donkey had burnt her hooves on ash from a dying bush fire while wandering in search of food. Thankfully, the injuries were not severe, so we administered topical wound spray and completed a follow-up visit to check her hooves were healing.

expanding animal welfare services in rural areas

During August, the ZWDP team travelled to Mwandi District in Western Province as part of our ongoing efforts to expand our reach into communities with extremely limited animal welfare services.

Mwandi is a rural region with deep sandy roads and restricted access to veterinary care, and donkeys are relied upon to transport people and goods. Sometimes they are required to travel for up to six hours to markets.

While our main purpose was to engage traditional and government stakeholders, we travelled with veterinary supplies in case these were needed.

Outside Mwandi, we encountered four donkeys pulling a cart fitted with a heavy ox yoke. The donkeys were visibly exhausted, with wounds and sores across their backs and hindquarters, and were being whipped to keep moving.

Our team treated them with wound spray and educated the owners on the importance of allowing the animals to rest until their wounds have healed. The owners were also informed about the benefits of proper harnessing and humane alternatives to whipping.

new vet on board

We are pleased to welcome our new veterinarian - Dr Mwendalubi Hadunka - who brings eight years of clinical practice and laboratory experience, strong expertise in equine and large animal care, and extensive work with rural communities. This makes him a great fit for our team.

update on rescued donkeys

Sinazibwene and Mabambe - who were rescued last month from Libuyu Market with neck and shoulder wounds - are healing well and will soon return to their owner, depending on follow-up visits and education.

We also released Kabucha back to his owner, following an axe attack and two months of care with ZWDP.

Last month, we also took in two new rescued donkeys - Chileleko and Zebra. Chileleko was found during a routine field check-up in Muchinga Village. She had a large leg wound and is blind in her left eye due to a cataract. We negotiated for her to become a permanent resident at Maramba Farm.

Zebra was brought in by his owner with a large chest and neck wound, and will be able to return to work once he has healed.

Both donkeys also had ulcerative growths, and Dr Mwendalubi was able to operate on both Chileleko and Zebra to remove these.

Chileleko presented with a large ulcerative growth on her right foreleg, near the knee, roughly the size of a small fist. She was sedated for the procedure, and the area was carefully cleaned and shaved before the mass was surgically removed. The wound was sutured to minimise scarring and covered using a wet bandage technique to encourage healing. She was given pain relief and antibiotics to support her recovery. She is healing well and has regular bandage changes.

Zebra had a similar growth on his chest, which the owner first noticed around four months ago. It had started small and the owner had hoped it would resolve on its own; however, it continued to grow. Dr Mwendalubi sedated Zebra and surgically removed the mass, closing the wound with sutures. The area was treated with Teramycin spray close to the suture line, and Supona wound spray was used around the wound area. Pain medication and antibiotics were given to Zebra, and his wound is healing well.

sad news at maramba farm

We also have sad news to share from the sanctuary. At the beginning of August, Mwangala - one of our long-term rescues - suddenly passed away and was found with his intestines protruding from his anus. Without a veterinarian on the team at the time, we could not perform a post-mortem to determine the cause of death. His loss came as a shock as he had been behaving normally. We have since introduced twice-daily temperature checks for our remaining rescued donkeys.

In further sad news, our little orphan donkey, Mary, passed away overnight. Despite continued feed and milk supplements, she had been showing ongoing signs of weakness. We know that we did everything we could to help her over the past few months, and we take comfort in knowing she is no longer suffering.

current challenges

As the hot and dry season approaches, working donkeys face some of their toughest conditions of the year. ZWDP will increase our presence at the markets and outreach clinics during this time, continuing to educate owners on the basics: water, rest, shade, and food.

This season also brings another challenge. With very little grass left, donkeys are often tempted by fresh green growth in unfenced gardens - a situation that unfortunately leads to higher rates of donkey abuse. ZWDP are working proactively to educate the community and we remain committed to being there for donkeys across the Livingstone area.

Thank you again for making all of this possible! We couldn’t assist donkeys in need without your ongoing, generous support.