Transportation of animals and welfare

Db, Adams

doi:10.20506/rst.13.1.760

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 21 publications

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“…Moreover, there is a general risk of moving animals without traceability. There are other examples of diseases that have emerged from animals transported and held with insufficient biosecurity measures, such as pasteurellosis in cattle, salmonellosis in sheep (Adams, 1994), or zoonotic diseases like the Nipah virus outbreak in Malaysia (Uppal, 2000).…”

Section: Biosecurity Risksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Donkey skin trade: is it sustainable to slaughter donkeys for their skin?

Tatemoto

Lima²,

Santurtun³

et al. 2021

Braz. J. Vet. Res. Anim. Sci.

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Donkeys (Equus asinus) face a global crisis. The health, welfare, and even survival of donkeys are being compromised as the demand for their skins increases. It is driven by the production of ejiao, a traditional Chinese remedy believed by some to have medicinal properties. It is estimated that the ejiao industry currently requires approximately 4.8 million donkey skins per year. Since there is no productive chain for donkey skin production outside of China, the activity is extractive and has resulted in the decimation of donkeys. Gestation is 12 months in donkeys, increasing the risk of extinction if such practices are not controlled. In this scenario, the donkeys are collected (purchased for low prices, stolen, and collected from the side of the roads) and are then often transported for long distances, usually without water, food, or rest. The trade, in Brazil, poses significant biosecurity risks, particularly because examinations are rarely conducted and therefore infectious diseases, such as glanders and infectious anemia, remain undetected. Furthermore, in chronic stress situations, the immune system is suppressed, increasing the biosecurity risk, especially because donkeys are a silent carrier of diseases. Rarely there is traceability with animals from different origins being put together in “fake farms”, before being delivered to slaughterhouses. The opportunistic strategy of collecting animals, or buying for low prices, keeping them without access to food and veterinary assistance, is what makes this trade profitable. Our experience in donkey welfare and the global skin trade suggest that it will be enormously challenging and cost-prohibitive to run a trade at the standards required to be considered humane, sustainable, and safe. Although donkeys are being blamed for the involvement in road accidents, it is not an ethical solution to maintain this trade as an alternative. Moreover, the ecological role of donkeys in native ecosystems has not been elucidated, and some studies indicate they could even have a positive effect. Regardless of the future the donkeys will have; we must guarantee a life with the least dignity to the animals under our responsibility.

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Section: Biosecurity Risksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Donkey skin trade: is it sustainable to slaughter donkeys for their skin?

Tatemoto

Lima²,

Santurtun³

et al. 2021

Braz. J. Vet. Res. Anim. Sci.

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Stress associated with road transportation in desert sheep and goats, and the effect of pretreatment with xylazine or sodium betaine

Ali¹,

Al‐Qarawi²,

Mousa³

2006

Research in Veterinary Science

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Ali

Al‐Qarawi

Mousa

et al. 2001

Veterinary Research Communications

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We studied some clinical, biochemical and haematological variables in Desert (Najdi) sheep acutely stressed in the course of individual road transportation, and the influence thereon of pretreatment with tyrosine. Transportation for 30 min resulted in variable but statistically insignificant increases in heart, pulse and respiratory rates. It also caused significant increases in the plasma concentration of cortisol (from 43.5 to 101.7 mmol/L) and glucose (from 3.1 to 4.5 mmol/L), and a decrease in that of magnesium (from 0.85 to 0.72 mmol/L). The endogenous thiocyanate level was unaffected. The transportation stress also decreased the haematocrit (PCV) and the number of lymphocytes, and increased the concentration of haemoglobin. Pretreatment of sheep with tyrosine at a dose of 100 mg/kg by the intravenous route significantly ameliorated the stress-induced clinical, biochemical and haematological changes. The treatment caused no overt adverse effects.

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Transportation of animals and welfare

Cited by 7 publications

References 21 publications

Donkey skin trade: is it sustainable to slaughter donkeys for their skin?

Donkey skin trade: is it sustainable to slaughter donkeys for their skin?

Stress associated with road transportation in desert sheep and goats, and the effect of pretreatment with xylazine or sodium betaine

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