Rescuing Botswana’s stray donkeys

When Country Director Pippa Young comes across these stray animals, her first priority is to rehydrate them and treat their wounds. As Pippa often doesn’t know who these animals belong to, she can only give them treatment before releasing them. But Pippa worried that without the chance to speak to owners and provide follow-up treatments for serious cases, many of the donkeys would only end up suffering again.

Pippa considered the best way to let owners know that their donkey needed further care and came up with a simple yet ingenious solution. On field visits, she started carrying a small non-toxic bottle of spray paint with her and writing contact information on the neck or back of the donkey she had just treated. Although a success, Pippa decided to improve on her idea by creating a homemade stencil of her mobile number using nothing more than an overhead projector and scissors.