Prevalence of skin wounds in working donkeys in Bukombe, Tanzania

Abstract

BackgroundPreventable wounds are a common welfare issue in working donkeys in many countries. In the Bukombe District of Tanzania, there are estimated to be 3000 working donkeys, used primarily to transport loads for direct income generation. For historical reasons, oxen-yoke carts are used; their design is inappropriate for donkeys and results in serious neck wounds. The project aim was to assess the prevalence and nature of wounds in working donkeys.MethodsIn November 2018, 148 donkeys owned by 48 owners were examined, and data were collected.ResultsThe study revealed that one or more wounds were present in 56.1% of the population and yoke-related, dorsal neck wounds comprised 79.5% of these. These wounds ranged in surface area from 1 cm2 to 300 cm2. Clinically, 96.6% of all wound types were superficial and the majority of these (51.1%) were granulating.ConclusionThese data will enable the future evaluation of targeted interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of these specific wounds.

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

“…Resulting physiological stress can impair immune responses and hinder tissue repair [ 39 ]. These findings are similar to other studies which found that when equids are treated in an aggressive manner, they are more likely to suffer from mistreatment [ 16 ] and poorer welfare standards [ 3 , 12 , 16 , 26 ]. In contrast, handlers that were relaxed with their equids had equids that were at ease, friendly to the approach of the enumerator, had visual contact with other animals and showed no signs of fear.…”

“…In contrast, handlers that were relaxed with their equids had equids that were at ease, friendly to the approach of the enumerator, had visual contact with other animals and showed no signs of fear. These equids were also found to have access to clean water when working and housing of satisfactory size with clean bedding, indicating that the positive attitude of handlers towards their equids was promoting better welfare and more relaxed behaviour in their equids and is in concurrence with other studies [ 3 , 12 , 16 , 26 , 40 ].…”

“…Scarring was the most frequent skin alteration across all three species working in the kilns, there was also a high proportion of hobbling and tethering. Issues relating to scars and tethering become worse over time especially when an equid is working constantly for an entire brick kiln season [ 26 ]. Such anthropogenic pressures on equids can have detrimental effects on their welfare [ 5 , 11 , 16 ].…”

“…Such anthropogenic pressures on equids can have detrimental effects on their welfare [ 5 , 11 , 16 ]. Limb tethering or hobbling are often used in LMICs to restrict the mobility of equids and is likely to be the cause of the scarring observed on many equids [ 3 , 26 ]. Common reasons can be the repeated use of inappropriate coarse materials combined with accumulation of substrate matter which abrades the skin [ 24 ].…”

“…Brick kilns have been found to be particularly difficult environments in which to maintain a high level of equid welfare [ 3 , 12 , 16 ], with equids experiencing poor nutrition [ 12 , 25 ], inadequate veterinary care, wounds and musculoskeletal problems from ill-fitting equipment used to pull heavy loads, which is exacerbated by generally hot and dusty working conditions [ 16 , 26 , 27 ]. Here, we use responses to EARS questions in conjunction with aggregated welfare grades from the WAG tool to outline the welfare conditions of equids in the brick kilns of Nepal.…”