The working donkey welfare in Mediterranean area

Pavla Brejchová

Bachelor's thesis

Abstract:

The number of donkeys in Europe dramatically decreased in the last 100 years, whereas in many developing countries the population grows. In some countries, donkeys are still used as working animals, in others, they are kept as pets or used for leisure activities, therapy programs, or milk and meat production. Objective information about donkey welfare conditions is limited or fragmented. Donkeys may suffer from malnutrition, parasites, inappropriate handling and other problems. This study aims to review the current literature resources dealing with donkey use and welfare in the Mediterranean area, to characterise the most problematic areas and to suggest strategies to improve working donkeys’ life. It was found that there was insufficient mapping of the number of donkeys and their workload. The main welfare deficiencies associated with donkey work were found to include non-fitting harnesses that caused wounds and lesions. Unclean harnesses were causing skin health problem. Beating from owners or handlers was causing wounds to donkeys. There was neglect of preventive veterinary care and unavailability of acute veterinary care. Welfare issues in donkey housing were unsatisfactory in terms of unavailability of drinking water or sufficient shade. The donkeys were kept alone, which puts the donkeys under stress by being separated from the bonded donkey. During the work deployment, the most common welfare violations of the donkeys were due to the absence of water, insufficient feeding time, and violations of the physical limits of the donkeys, be it the length of the donkey's work day, the weight of the load, or the donkey's exposure to the harsh environment. Donkeys are undoubtedly the subject of cheap labour, and in the Mediterranean area their welfare is often affected, and the five animal freedoms are violated. Steps such as better mapping of the welfare of working donkeys would improve their condition and workload, education of owners and handlers, ensuring veterinary care and improving welfare laws and their implementation. Further studies focusing on the welfare of donkeys have been commissioned to investigate this issue in more depth, especially on working donkeys, about which there is often less information than on donkeys for milk and meat production, as these products are subject to human consumption.

Keywords

donkey, welfare, health issues, Mediterranean countries, working equine

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 21. 4. 2024

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 30. 5. 2024
• Supervisor: Mgr. Martina Komárková, Ph.D.
• Reader: Tamara Fedorova, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Bachelor programme:
Tropical Agriculture