Find out how SPANA vets in Mali raced to help a donkey who had accidentally eaten something he shouldn’t have.
Bilenman is a five-year-old donkey from Bamako, the capital of Mali. Like hundreds of other donkeys, Bilenman works on the city’s notorious rubbish dumps, transporting unwanted waste to the mountainous dumps that are piled high with rubbish.
The donkey’s work is incredibly tough. Bilenman and his owner, Dramane, are at constant risk of illness and injury from their hazardous working environment. With every step, they must avoid obstacles including razor-sharp shards of glass and rusting, jagged pieces of metal. Without Bilenman, Dramane would be unable to earn a living and support his wife and children.
One day, Dramane rushed his donkey to SPANA’s mobile clinic that regularly visits the rubbish dump where they work. Bilenman had accidentally tried to eat something among the rubbish that turned out to be a caustic substance that was burning his mouth.
Our vets worked quickly to help Bilenman. They sedated Bilenman, applied a special gel to numb his mouth, then gently inspected and cleaned inside his mouth to ensure no trace of the caustic substance remained. Because the lesions in Bilenman’s mouth had started to become infected, the vets started a course of antibiotics. They showed his owner how to administer them. Finally, they gave Bilenman some anti-inflammatories for pain relief.
The vets advised Dramane to rest his donkey for a few days to recover from his ordeal and to also ensure he had access to plenty of water.
Dramane said: ‘Thanks to my donkey, I have a job and can cover my family’s expenses. Thank you for treating my donkey for free.’
Your continued support enables us to operate mobile veterinary clinics that can provide emergency treatment to working animals like Bilenman. In 2024, SPANA and our local partners operated 45 mobile clinics across three continents. They’re stocked with all the essential medication and equipment the vets need to provide lifesaving treatment – often providing the only access to veterinary care that working animals will ever receive. Thank you so much for caring for working animals.
