Wounds, water and welfare in Africa

One of the main reasons for SPANA starting its work in Mauritania was the horrific wounds covering the flanks of most of the hundred thousand donkeys toiling in the city streets of Nouakchott, the capital city. And most of these were not caused by poor harness – girth straps, back saddles and crupper ropes – but by the constant whipping and beating by the drivers. For some reason, no-one thought of (the very simple) method of steering and controlling a traction animal – ie a head-collar and reins. So they just hit the poor wretched creature on the side, to turn its head, and whop it on the back side to speed it up. The wounds were truly horrific – yet paradoxically these seemingly cruel and brutal owners fed their charges extremely well – you almost never see a thin donkey.

However the good news is that after ten years of labour and toil by SPANA staff, educating local owners, the situation has changed enormously and cases like this one arriving at the clinic are thankfully very much rarer.  And we also improved the quality of harnessing and equipment by distributing 1,300 head collars last year.

One of the problems in a hot desert country like Mauritania, is that you have to pay for every drop of water – so it's precious. We supply a line of water buckets outside the SPANA centre, so that waiting patients can slake their thirst, and animals with skin wounds like this chap can have a good clean up with soap and water – also getting rid of the waste sump oil so commonly used as a local ‘dressing’.  Once clean, it’s so much easier to assess the damage and treat and dress the wounds.

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Jeremy Hulme

Chief Executive