Donkeys in Pakistan need help

The Brooke have been in touch about donkeys in Pakistan who needed help.  They work in the coal mines there.

Each day, Sunall’s donkeys make 12 exhausting trips to collect coal from the deep, dark mine.

The trips take an hour each.  Each donkey carries 100kg of coal. The donkeys gasp for breath because of the coal dust.

The donkeys often wound themselves in the mines, from the sharp edges in the tunnels.  They can get lame. The mines are cramped.  Temperatures are often as high as 50°C. 

But this year, supporters of The Brooke have donated an amazing £16,750 this year to help the coal mine donkeys.

That means that Sunall now knows how to reduce the risk of injury to the donkeys.  He knows how to keep them healthy. He says: “Now when my animals are not working I let them roam free so they can roll around and drink from the trough and graze”.

Without his donkeys, Sunall’s family wouldn’t be able to eat and his children wouldn’t be able to go to school.

There are thousands of donkeys in Pakistan working in coal mines. 

The Brooke wants to raise £50,000 so that they can help more donkeys, by embedding good animal welfare standards in Pakistan’s communities and providing first aid training.

Please donate now to help protect more overworked donkeys.

On this #WorldAnimalDay, SPANA are highlighting the fact that so many animals have no access whatsoever to veterinary care.

There’s a severe shortage of veterinary services in many developing countries – and many animals are suffering as a result.

SPANA offer a lifeline to thousands of working animals because they provide free veterinary treatment.  They treat horses, donkeys, mules and even elephants.

Tirign is a pony from Ethiopia.  Her eyes were painful and swollen.  If she didn’t have immediate veterinary help, she would go blind.  Fortunately SPANA vets stepped in and gave her the care she needed.  They save her sight.

SPANA have mobile veterinary clinics and these give hope to animals such as Tirign.

You can find out more about the work SPANA does and how you can help on their website.

Canter off to SPANA

PS Why not play their Christmas raffle?  (closes 8 December 2020, or 14 December 2020 if you play online)

Sunday 4^th October is #WorldAnimalDay.

Never have all creatures great and small so badly needed the human species to stop its path of destruction and stop the rot it has inflicted on the fauna and flora of this planet.

The last few decades have seen a 68% of wildlife across the globe.  There has always been extinction, of course there has – but never at this rate.   We are driving it.

And as the number of humans on this planet rockets (now 7.8 billion, it was 3 billion just after World War II) so the numbers of wildlife have plummeted by 68% in recent decades.

Too many politicians are failing to act because they don’t actually care.  

#actionsspeaklouderthanwords.  It is up to each and everyone of us to make a pledge, in whatever form that takes, to help stop the rot and protect our wildlife, our working animals and our pets.

No action is too small.   One small action can quickly lead to another as we all discover the good feeling that helping and making a difference can give us.

#WorldAnimalDay has lots of ways you can help, wherever you are and whether you are out and about as normal as is possible or whether you are confined to home.

• There are lots of events listed on the website.  Can you join in any and spread the word about them?
• Take a look at charities that interest you.  Look at their websites, their facebook pages, their tweets.  Share their need for help, what they do, how people can get involved.
• Pick an animal you’re passionate about.  Research their charities.  What three things could you start doing today to make a difference to them?  If you’re already doing things for them, what else could you do?
• Make a pledge to help animals – there are pledges from people all over the world who want to make a difference. 
• Have a read and add your pledge
• Take selfies and share your #worldanimalday selfies with friends on social media and World Animal Day to help raise awareness of the day and encourage other people to take part. And get your animal loving friends and family members to do the same!

One thing is for sure.  We cannot sit about and wait for our politicians to get their acts together and act for wildlife.  Too many of them just don’t care enough – and they say what they think we want to hear.  If they really cared, more of them would stand up to protect nature and act. 

Please make a pledge for animals today and let’s all make a better world for all creatures great and small.

Visit the World Animal Day Website here