Radiographic Specification of Skeletal Maturation in Donkeys: Defining the Ossification Time of Donkey Growth Plates for Preventing Irreparable Damage

Abdel-Baset, A.; Gugjoo, Mudasir Bashir; Ghazy, Alaa; Gomaa, Mohamed; Abdelaal, Ahmed M.; Amarpal,; Behery, Ahmed; Abdel-Aal, Abdel-Basit; Samy, Mohamed-Tayiser; Dhama, Kuldeep

doi:10.3923/ajava.2016.204.209

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…They were also working young animals, in the 1-3 years old category, though from assessments all were over 2 years old. Though donkeys appear mature at 2 years old, their bones are only fully mature at 3-4 years old and should only bear weight and endure hard work when they are 5-6 years old to avoid permanent damage (36).…”

Section: Caste Ethnicity and Inherited Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural “Blind Spots,” Social Influence and the Welfare of Working Donkeys in Brick Kilns in Northern India

Watson¹,

Kubasiewicz²,

Chamberlain³

et al. 2020

Front. Vet. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) work across the globe to improve the welfare of working equids. Despite decades of veterinary and other interventions, welfare issues persist with equids working in brick kilns. Engagement with all stakeholders is integral to creating abiding improvements to working equid welfare as interventions based purely on reactive measures fail to provide sustainable solutions. Equid owners, particularly those in low to middle-income countries (LMICs), may have issues such as opportunity, capacity, gender or socioeconomic status, overriding their ability to care well for their own equids. These "blind spots" are frequently overlooked when organizations develop intervention programs to improve welfare. This study aims to highlight the lives of the poorest members of Indian society, and will focus on working donkeys specifically as they were the only species of working equids present in the kilns visited. We discuss culture, status, religion, and social influences, including insights into the complexities of cultural "blind spots" which complicate efforts by NGOs to improve working donkey welfare when the influence of different cultural and societal pressures are not recognized or acknowledged. Employing a mixed-methods approach, we used the Equid Assessment Research and Scoping (EARS) tool, a questionnaire based equid welfare assessment tool, to assess the welfare of working donkeys in brick kilns in Northern India. In addition, using livelihoods surveys and semi-structured interviews, we established owner demographics, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion and their personal accounts of their working lives and relationships to their donkeys. During transcript analysis six themes emerged: caste, ethnicity, inherited knowledge; social status, and impacts of ethnic group and caste; social status and gender; migration and shared suffering; shared suffering, compassion; religious belief, species hierarchy. The lives led by these, marginalized communities of low status are driven by poverty, exposing them to exploitation, lack of community cohesion, and community conflicts through migratory, transient employment. This vulnerability influences the care and welfare of their working donkeys, laying bare the inextricable link between human and animal welfare. Cultural and social perspectives, though sometimes overlooked, are crucial to programs to improve welfare, where community engagement and participation are integral to their success.

show abstract

Section: Caste Ethnicity and Inherited Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural “Blind Spots,” Social Influence and the Welfare of Working Donkeys in Brick Kilns in Northern India

Watson¹,

Kubasiewicz²,

Chamberlain³

et al. 2020

Front. Vet. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Putting equids to work at such a young age contravenes recommended government guidance in Nepal where equids are recommended to be a minimum of three years old to begin work [ 67 ]. This is still younger than other recommendations where equids deemed suitably developed and fit for work are aged four years and older [ 15 , 68 , 69 ]. Although equids may appear mature at two years old, putting any equids to work before their bodies are mature (at ideally 5–6 years old), puts strain on their bones and joints [ 57 , 68 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…This is still younger than other recommendations where equids deemed suitably developed and fit for work are aged four years and older [ 15 , 68 , 69 ]. Although equids may appear mature at two years old, putting any equids to work before their bodies are mature (at ideally 5–6 years old), puts strain on their bones and joints [ 57 , 68 ]. This excessive loading results in gait and hoof abnormalities, joint and other load related injuries, ataxia, and results in negative behaviour patterns such as aggression, avoidance and apathy [ 70 , 71 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“Not All Who Wander Are Lost”: The Life Transitions and Associated Welfare of Pack Mules Walking the Trails in the Mountainous Gorkha Region, Nepal

Watson¹,

Kubasiewicz²,

Nye

et al. 2022

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Equids in general experience transient lives where ownership may change multiple times, for working equids this can be more extreme where ownership changes are not only numerous but abrupt, and situations encountered prove difficult, diverse and tough for equids to adapt. In this study, we investigate the life cycle of pack mules in Nepal, investigating the challenges they face during their lives through to end of life. To gain insight into the lives of mules, we conducted semi-structured interviews and livelihood surveys with 27 key informants, gathering the perspectives of the people working with mules. Welfare assessments of the mules were undertaken via the Equid Assessment Research and Scoping tool (EARS) by a trained assessor. Mules had to adapt swiftly to changes in industry type, enduring long distance transportation in overloaded vehicles and across country borders with no checks for biosecurity or welfare. Mules had to show swift adaptation to their new environment, to respond to and learn new tasks via inhumanely administered training, using inappropriate techniques, delivered by owners lacking in understanding of mule behaviour and learning. Environmental conditions were often hard; the negotiation of difficult terrain and challenging weather conditions during monsoon and subsequent high-altitude working without acclimatisation likely pushed mules to their biological limits. This study investigates the lives of a population of mules in the mountains of Nepal, developing a better understanding of their needs and their ‘truth’ or ‘telos’ informing what measures will help them to thrive.

show abstract

“…In the UK it is recommended that donkeys be at least 4 years old before starting work (20). Donkeys may appear mature at the age of two, but they are not skeletally mature until they are 3-4 years old, and it has been suggested that donkeys should not carry weight or work until they are 5-6 years old to avoid osteoarthritic changes due to overworking (50,51). Previous research has found gait abnormalities, hoof abnormalities, tendon, joint swelling, and other load-associated injuries are more prevalent in older working donkeys (17,26,29); we suggest that this is because they have been carrying higher levels of mounted loads throughout their young lives, and they face multiple complex issues in their older age.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Welfare Concerns for Mounted Load Carrying by Working Donkeys in Pakistan

Bukhari

Rosanowski²,

McElligott

et al. 2022

Front. Vet. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Working donkeys (Equus asinus) are vital to people's livelihoods. They are essential for carrying goods, however, globally, overloading is one of the primary welfare concerns for working donkeys. We studied mounted load carrying by donkeys and associated factors in Pakistan. A cross-sectional study of donkey owners (n = 332) was conducted, and interviews were undertaken based on a questionnaire. Owners estimated that the median weight of their donkeys was 110 kg [interquartile range (IQR) 100–120 kg], and that they carried a median mounted load of 81.5 kg (IQR 63–99 kg). We found that 87.4% of donkeys carried a load above 50% of their bodyweight ratio (BWR), the median BWR carried was 77.1% (IQR 54.5–90.7%), and 25.3% of donkeys carried above 90% BWR. Donkeys that were loaded at more than 50% BWR were more likely to adopt sternal recumbency compared to donkeys loaded with less weight (P = 0.01). Donkeys carrying construction material were more likely to carry more than the median BWR, when compared to domestic loads (P < 0.001). Younger donkeys aged between one and 5 years carried more than the median BWR compared to those aged over 15 years (P = 0.03). For the models with donkeys carrying median BWR and above 90% BWR, those working in peri-urban and urban areas were more likely to carry a greater BWR than donkeys working in rural areas (P < 0.001; P < 0.001, respectively). For donkeys carrying more than 90% BWR, mixed breed donkeys carried higher loads compared to other breeds of donkeys (P < 0.001). Overloading based on current recommendations (50% BWR) was common, with the majority (87.4%) of donkeys reported to carry more than the recommended 50% limit. This survey provides evidence of on-the-ground working practices and factors associated with mounted load carrying, which is critical for developing evidence-based recommendations for loading, in order to improve the welfare of working donkeys.

show abstract

Radiographic Specification of Skeletal Maturation in Donkeys: Defining the Ossification Time of Donkey Growth Plates for Preventing Irreparable Damage

Cited by 7 publications

References 24 publications

Cultural “Blind Spots,” Social Influence and the Welfare of Working Donkeys in Brick Kilns in Northern India

Cultural “Blind Spots,” Social Influence and the Welfare of Working Donkeys in Brick Kilns in Northern India

“Not All Who Wander Are Lost”: The Life Transitions and Associated Welfare of Pack Mules Walking the Trails in the Mountainous Gorkha Region, Nepal

Welfare Concerns for Mounted Load Carrying by Working Donkeys in Pakistan

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About