For this year’s World Donkey Day, on 8 May 2025, we are celebrating the vital role millions of working donkeys play across the world.
Working donkeys
From transporting goods, to assisting with agricultural tasks, donkeys are a lifeline to rural and low-income communities across the world. But unfortunately, many working donkeys don’t have access to the support they need and deserve.
SPANA makes veterinary treatment more accessible to working donkeys in need by providing care through our fixed and mobile clinics across 16 countries.
We also provide training to working-donkey owners, so they’re empowered with the skills and knowledge they need to best care for their donkeys.
And through interactive and engaging lessons, we educate children – the future working donkey owners – on the welfare needs of donkeys.
Did you know...?
There are an estimated 50 million donkeys across the world
SPANA provided vital treatment to over 263,000 working donkeys in 2024
Donkeys have been used as working animals for approximately 5,000 years
Donkeys on the frontline of Mali’s waste crisis
In Bamako, Mali’s capital, donkeys work in dangerous conditions to transport rubbish from communities to the city’s sprawling rubbish dumps.
Driven by poverty, the country’s growing waste crisis has left communities relying on donkeys and carts to haul refuse to dumping sites where mountains of rotting waste contaminates the soil and local water sources, creating hazardous conditions for both animals and people.
For the donkeys, the work is relentless and the risks are constant. Injuries caused by broken glass and metal scraps. and life-threatening digestive issues caused consuming plastic and decomposing waste are daily realities.
This World Donkey Day, we’re highlighting their story and the urgent need for action.
By donating to our appeal today, you can provide the lifesaving medication and veterinary care they need.
Thank you for your support.
Meet Belima, a donkey we have cared for recently…
Belima is one of the donkeys working at Mali’s rubbish dumps. When her owner, Issa, noticed she had developed small red dots around her eye, he took her to SPANA’s mobile clinic for help.
Find out how Issa’s quick action, and our team’s expertise, helped Belima get the treatment she desperately needed by reading her story.
Support working donkeys
Help support working donkeys by purchasing a thoughtful SPANA e-gift! We have a wide range of fantastic gifts you can buy for yourself or a loved one to help working donkeys in need – from wound dressings and bandages for an injured animal, to essential farrier care and hoof treatment. Find out more and buy an e-gift today!
Read more about donkeys we've helped recently...
Vets treat Fanta’s nasty head wound
When Fanta escaped his enclosure and injured his head, SPANA vets were on the scene.
Vets treat Fanta’s nasty head wound
When Fanta escaped his enclosure and injured his head, SPANA vets were on the scene.