| Featured Article -
September
2005
In The Shadow of Equus Among Working Horses |
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| Animals and the University of Bristol Veterinary School in
the United Kingdom has revealed that the world’s working horses,
donkeys and mules are suffering malnutrition on an appalling scale.
Researchers at The Brooke, world-renowned for its work providing
veterinary care for working equines in developing countries, were so
alarmed by the outcome of the study that the organization has launched
a major fundraising appeal to help tackle the malnutrition problem. The study is the largest that has ever been conducted among equines and it was carried out in five countries. It found that 70 percent of working equines were either thin or very thin with the majority in the “very thin” category. The Brooke Hospital for Animals began in 1934 when a compassionate Englishwoman, Mrs. Dorothy Brooke, founded the organization in Egypt to save ex-cavalry horses, (British, American and Australian) abandoned in that country after World War One. From its humble beginnings as The Old Warhorse Memorial Hospital, The Brooke now reaches over 500,000 working equine animals every year in Egypt, Jordan, India and Pakistan, and through partnerships in Afghanistan, Kenya and Guatemala. Their work has had a legacy of success transforming animals in crisis into animals that are healthy, happy and fit for work. These animals are a huge benefit to millions of families who depend on them for work and transportation. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, there are an estimated 90 million working equine animals in the developing world. The Brooke’s work has shown that an average of six people are dependent on each working animal. Any action to improve the animal’s nutrition will not only prevent animal suffering but will also safeguard the future of millions of people who depend on them for their livelihoods. “Brooke vets are used to seeing working horses and donkeys reduced to skin and bone, so weak that they can barely walk, but this study has now revealed the huge scale of the problem,” said Bill Swann, head of The Brooke’s international development and one of the leading veterinarians in the United Kingdom. “Worryingly, the study also confirmed that thin animals have more skin lesions and wounds, possibly because they have less natural padding to protect them from pressure and friction from their harnesses.” Most owners in the developing world care about their animals and feed them as best as they can, but all too often the food lacks the essential mix of nutrients needed for a balanced diet. |
The
Brooke is tackling the root causes of malnutrition through education,
including running animal management training courses where owners can
learn more about animal care. The Brooke vets and community workers
advise owners on how to combine three foods, such as barley, maize and
bran, with green fodder. They also advise owners how to feed their
animals from a container or feedbag, instead of the ground, which is
not only wasteful but risks contamination from dirt or worm eggs. The
work is already showing results. In Mwea, Kenya, The Brooke staff
recently spotted donkey owners carrying “packed lunches” for their
donkeys. Malnourished animals are also treated in TheBrooke’s clinics and by its mobile veterinary teams. They are given multi-vitamin injections, nutritional and mineral supplements and, if necessary, are cared for in The Brooke’s field clinics until they are fit to return to work. Abdul Matin, a tonga cart driver with a family of ten to support, took his horse to The Brooke’s clinic in Peshawar, Pakistan, when it became too weak to work. “My horse remained in the clinic for more than one and a half months, and was given a whole range of good food,” he said. “I didn’t think my horse was going to recover, but while it was at the clinic I saw that its health was improving day by day. I pay a big thanks to The Brooke who saved my horse.” If you would like to help The Brooke help working horses around the world, you can find out more about their work on their web site at www.thebrooke.org. A donation of 16 pounds sterling (approx. $35) will buy green fodder to feed an equine for two months; 22 pounds sterling (approx. $46) will pay for a four week course of mineral supplements to strengthen five animals; 40 pounds sterling (about $90) will cover the cost of a community animal health worker for more than a month.
Read Margaret Evans' column "In The Shadow Of Equus" each month in The Pacific & Prairie Horse Journal |
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