A New Framework for Assessing Equid Welfare: A Case Study of Working Equids in Nepalese Brick Kilns

Abstract

Equids fulfil many different roles within communities. In low- to middle-income countries (LMICs), in addition to providing a source of income, equids also provide essential transport of food, water, and goods to resource-limited and/or isolated communities that might otherwise lack access. The aim of this investigation was to understand the welfare conditions that donkeys, mules, and horses are exposed to whilst working in Nepalese brick kilns. To understand the welfare conditions of equids in Nepalese brick kilns, the Welfare Aggregation and Guidance (WAG) tool in conjunction with the Equid Assessment, Research and Scoping (EARS) tool was used to understand the health, behaviour, nutrition, living and working conditions in brick kilns. Further analysis of individual EARS responses focused on key indicator questions relating to demographic information was used to investigate specific areas of welfare concern and attitudes of handlers towards their equids. Trained staff carried out welfare assessments between December 2018 and April 2019. The information gathered using the EARS tool was summarised using the WAG tool to pinpoint areas of welfare concern and suggest possible strategies to mitigate poor welfare conditions and suggest areas to improve the welfare of equids. Overall, the results indicate that to improve the welfare of equids working in Nepalese brick kilns, there should be better provision of clean water, both when working and stabled, equipment should be removed and shade provided during rest periods, with improvements made to housing to allow the equids to rest and recuperate when not working. Further work should also focus on collaborating with owners and equid handlers to improve their attitudes and practices towards their equids. Such improvements can be implemented via training of equid handlers and kiln owners whilst using the EARS and WAG tools to provide a sound basis on which to monitor the effectiveness and impact of education programs on equid welfare.

Global donkey and mule populations: Figures and trends

“…However, there may also be an increase in donkey breeding in other countries or regions specially to fulfill the demand for eijao via legal or illegal export [ 37 ]. Many factors may also contributing to increases in donkey population size such as increased demand for products such bricks, coal and mineral in developing countries [ 5 , 6 , 38 , 39 ] which may be also be assisted by communities changing from using oxen to transport goods to donkeys and mules due to their greater efficacy [ 5 ].…”

“…Another shortcoming of the FAO dataset is that the number of live donkeys and mules represents all genus regardless of age, sex, breed or purpose raised. This introduces issues when trying to accurately establish the number of equids in working or farmed environments with the two population having very different welfare concerns making it difficult for NGO’s to understand where and which equids are in the greatest need [ 4 , 38 , 41 , 42 ].…”

“…In the United Kingdom separate records are held in a Central Equine Database that is behind a paywall and requires strong working relationships to gain access. In contrast, Nepal reports no information and no information is held by the central government and as such it is difficult to understand the magnitude of the welfare crisis that effect equids working in Nepalese brick kilns [ 38 , 39 ]. Where countries do report information to the FAO there may be some discrepancies [ 2 ].…”

Collar pressure mapping: An evaluation of seven collar types used on working donkeys in Europe

“…1 Working equids are still a major source of traction worldwide. [2][3][4] They make significant contributions to agroforestry 5 and industrial activities, 6 playing a key role in countries with low and middle incomes 7 where animal energy represents a vast and extremely important sustainable power resource. 8 The effectiveness of working equids' contributions to future sustainability is reliant on their welfare and one of the most important determinants for overall health and welfare is that of harness.…”

“…Adaptation of equipment primarily designed for other species, such as cattle yokes or horse collars being used with donkeys, may also be an issue if specific anatomical species differences are not taken into account. 7,9,[12][13][14][15] For decades, there has been a lack of interest in animal traction, resulting in a general lack of research and accompanying advances in appropriate technologies. 16 There is very little scientific research on pressure effects experienced by draft animals during load-bearing, and even less specifically focused on donkeys.…”