Cases of mistreatment of donkeys in Lamu Island, a heritage town, have greatly reduced over the years thanks to rigorous campaigns on donkey welfare by the donkey sanctuary on the island.
While marking World Donkey Day on May 8, the Lamu Donkey Sanctuary senior Veterinary officer and Team leader Obadiah Sing’oei observed that donkey mistreatment had been on a high in previous years, prompting the sanctuary to go all out to stop the abuse.
World Donkey Day is marked annually across the globe to agitate for the welfare of the beasts of burden and draw the world’s attention to the plight of donkeys.
Going under the theme ‘Donkeys in Development’, the Lamu celebrations took place in Matondoni village in Lamu East with Sing’oei lauding the local community for learning to treat their donkeys with dignity at all times.
He admitted that there are still a few stubborn incidents of donkey abuse and mistreatment but added that the sanctuary remains steadfast in its quest to ensure the numbers are brought to zero.
As part of the sanctuary's plans to achieve zero donkey abuse, Sing’oei revealed plans to train donkey champions in all villages across the Lamu archipelago, who will act as first respondents to donkey-related emergencies before the animals reach the sanctuary or are reached by vets.
He reiterated that donkeys must not be overworked, must be provided with a good diet and shelter and must also be allowed plenty of rest after a day’s work.
Donkeys are an integral part of the culture, heritage and religion of the Lamu Old Town, whose ancient lifestyle is still practiced including travel by donkey.
The town was listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2001 owing to its preservation of ancient culture and heritage.
Sing’oei said as such, ill-treatment of the animals gives Lamu a bad name.
“We are glad the abuse has gone down. As a sanctuary, we continue to sensitize the public on how and why they need to treat these animals with kindness, care and compassion. The key things are to ensure they are well fed, rested and not overworked,” Sing’oei said.
He said his office shall continue to cooperate with the county government to ensure the welfare of donkeys is upheld.
Renowned donkey champion Abdallah Khalid said he would initiate door-to-door campaigns aimed at reminding owners to care for their animals.
“I have started in Siyu,Pate, Shella, Matondoni,Kipungani and Lamu island. I will go beyond just speaking for the donkey of Lamu. I well cared for them and serve you well,”Khalid said.
This year’s World Donkey Day celebrations featured a free medical camp where sick donkeys were treated and vaccinated against rabies and tetanus.
It also featured a donkey welfare competition where owners of donkeys that had been well cared for were awarded.
