Working Towards a Zambia Where Donkeys are Free from Suffering

With your wonderful support, the Zambezi Working Donkey Project (ZWDP) are continuing in their mission to work towards a Zambia where donkeys are free from suffering, treated with compassion and valued by the people who rely on them. With help from your generous donations, they predict they can make great strides towards achieving this vision in the second half of 2025.  

During July, the team conducted three mobile clinics in various villages, where 158 donkeys were dipped, 64 were dewormed and 18 donkeys received wound treatment. They also replaced 11 inhumane oxen yokes with humane harnesses.

July began with an emergency call. A friend of ZWDP was travelling south when she saw a donkey hit by a car. The team rushed to the site of the accident where they found the donkey still alive but injured. A clinical exam suggested injury to the part of the spine attached closest to the donkey’s hind legs, which had left her back legs paralyzed. The donkey immediately received pain medication and the owner was located. The owner requested euthanasia and ZWDP’s veterinarian granted this request to relieve the donkey’s suffering.

The first mobile clinic last month was in a village called Kasiya, where the team treated 16 donkeys for ticks and fleas, and 13 donkeys for worms. A donkey called Marie attended the clinic. She is lame due to losing her entire front left hoof a year ago, but it is amazing to see how she has healed and that she is now thriving. Her owner retired her after the injury and brought to the team’s attention that Marie was expecting a foal. After a successful negotiation, Marie was rescued and brought back to ZWDP’s sanctuary, Maramba Farm. She is comfortable in her paddock and the team are hopeful she will have a stress-free delivery in her new home.

Marie

ZWDP received another emergency call, not far from Maramba Farm, about a foal who had been reportedly injured by an elephant. The team rushed to attend to the poor foal called Miracle, and found her left rear leg was completely broken. Following veterinary consultations with Worldwide Veterinary Services, ZWDP were informed the injury would require complicated bone surgery. Unfortunately, they currently lack the facilities to undertake such surgery so, to relieve little Miracle of further suffering, the owners agreed to euthanise her.

Miracle

In yet another emergency call out in July, the team rescued a donkey who had been hit by a car on a highway. This donkey had been badly injured three weeks ago and her wounds were infected and covered in maggots. Thankfully, she had been given care and water from a kind stranger who resides near the accident scene. A clinical examination revealed she had sustained a broken and detached pelvic bone; however, there was no indication of broken bones in her leg and she has been able to bear weight following the accident.

The team brought the donkey back to Maramba Farm, where she has been receiving anti-inflammatories, antibiotics and wound treatment. After consecutive treatment with antibiotics and pain killers, she stabilised. The team were then able to perform a minor operation to excise the broken and detached bone piece to prevent further tissue damage or infection. The operation was a success and this donkey now has a second chance at life! Her wounds have started to heal and she is improving daily. The donkey’s owner has still not been identified, but she has been named Lucky while she is under the care of ZWDP.

Lucky arrives at the sanctuary

Lucky is slowly recovering from her ordeal

Two mobile clinics were held at Libuyu last month, where the team educated 15 donkey owners on good animal welfare practices. A first-time offender was educated about the dangers of overloading a scotch cart and how this endangers the welfare of working animals. This offender complied and offloaded excess bags of charcoal to relieve the donkeys of extra weight for the remainder of their journey. Another first-time offender using an ox yoke was educated about donkey welfare and agreed to use a set of humane harnesses instead.

Despite these offenders, the majority of donkey owners at Libuyu were compliant and only needed minimal education. However, the team were disappointed by one donkey owner whose donkeys had several untreated injuries from being bitten. ZWDP will follow up this owner and his donkeys during next month’s field checks.

Twapenga - the donkey rescued last month - was returned to her legal owner after being worked too young by the owner’s son in law. The owner and son in law received a stern warning against working animals too young and the owner will be held responsible in the event that any one of his animals is abused in the near future - either by himself or by a second party working his donkeys.

Twapenga

Last month, ZWDP were privileged to be represented at the Africa Animal Welfare Conference. Their program manager attended virtually and presented on holistic approaches to ensuring the welfare of working animals. The conference provided some great ideas on improving working animal welfare in Zambia, which the team are keen to explore and implement further. For example, following the recent road traffic accidents involving donkeys, providing reflective collars for donkeys residing in areas close to highways could help prevent these accidents.

The 17 beautiful rescued donkeys Maramba Farm are all well currently. They were dipped twice last month to protect them from diseases from biting insects and ticks, and are due for their third round of deworming soon.

It is only due to your kind donations that ZWDP can continue assisting and rescuing donkeys in desperate need, and improve the overall welfare of working donkeys in Zambia.