On a recent to visit SPANA-funded welfare education project APOWA, SPANA Trustee Lady Odlie Slynn…
Category: Success Stories

Working Donkey Champions: Role models in South Africa
Six-year-old Inganathi has been fascinated with donkeys and their behavior since he was a little…

Sheno’s horses get new shoes
In the small town of Sheno, Ethiopia, local farrier David Debelle works tirelessly to provide…

A twist of fate for horse and vet
An accident first brought Sunk the horse to us many years ago, when SPANA Jordan…

Keeping a careful eye on Dafijeh
On the banks of the river Niger in a dusty suburb of Mali’s capital, Bamako,…

Yasmina’s ballerina toes
Yasmina was struggling to walk after developing a painful ligament condition. Her elderly owner was…

Helping Negus to breathe easy
Negus came to the SPANA team with health problems ranging from laboured breathing to painful…

Kofi’s committed owners
Donkey foal Kofi was in terrible pain when he came to the SPANA centre. His…

A close call for Syam
When Mohamed came to collect his horse Syam one morning, he got a big shock…

Saving Goloo’s sight
Goloo the camel is a huge source of support to his struggling family. Every day…

Treating a weak camel in Rajasthan
Raju, a camel in Rajasthan, was brought to our vets weak and lethargic. His owner…

Teaching empathy by touring Tunisia
Earlier this year SPANA launched a new education bus in Tunisia which brings SPANA’s message…

Inspiring the next generation
SPANA’s Animal Welfare clubs have a profound impact of thousands of Jordanian children each year….

Soraya the mule’s well-earned retirement
Soraya the mule has worked with her owner, Sa’id, for nearly twenty years helping him…

Helmi’s fantasie ordeal
Wedding parades in Tunisia involve equestrian performances (known as fantasie) and often take place within towns…

Rafiq’s remarkable recovery
Little Rafiq was left fighting for his life after being attacked by a raging bull….

Treating Wassima the Donkey
Pregnant Wassima was in a bad way when she was brought along to SPANA by…

Soothing Anisah’s burns
Anisah was brought to SPANA’s Chemaia centre in Morocco after being badly burnt in a…

Treating Mabrok’s colic
Many horses brought to SPANA centres suffer from colic and need emergency veterinary intervention. Mabrok…

Knuckles the donkey gets a new lease on life
Knuckles the donkey was brought to SPANA’s Zimbabwe clinic weak, exhausted and unable to walk….

Nursing Nizar back to health
Nizar was brought to our centre with a deep and painful wound – read how…

Making compassion cool in South Africa
Working donkeys in South Africa aren’t always treated with the respect and compassion they deserve…

Showing love to Ghana’s animals
Over the last three years, SPANA has been working with the Ghana Society for the…

Mahdouda: Lucky by name
Following a terrible road accident, Mahdouda was badly injured and needed immediate veterinary care. Follow…

Stopping cruelty against animals in Sierra Leone
Five years ago, SPANA began a partnership outreach programme with Campaign Against Cruelty to Animals…

Educating empathy on the Eastern Cape, South Africa
The Eastern Cape is one of the most economically depressed areas of South Africa. In…

Alleviating Ayoub’s Suffering
Ayoub the horse was discovered at a market in rural Tunisia, suffering from malnutrition and…

Improving Dama’s appetite
Dama the horse was steadily losing weight and becoming lethargic and weak. Read about her…

A close call for Nobel
Nobel the donkey was trapped and quickly became dehydrated after falling into a hole. Find…

Aziz’s visit to the dentist
Aziz is a hard-working camel helping his owner Bashir earn a living taking tourists on…

Learning to love animals in Liberia
As SPANA continues to grow our outreach funding for humane education programmes around the world,…

Helping an elephant with an itch
The SPANA team in Myanmar (Burma) recently helped Sien Nen, a 58-year-old elephant. Sien Nen,…

A Blessing in Botswana
SPANA’s mobile clinic in Botswana travels hundreds of miles every week to treat working animals…

Rescuing an orphaned foal
SPANA Jordan Country Director Dr Ghazi recently welcomed an unexpected new addition – a newborn…

Providing relief for a constipated donkey
When Jacob noticed that his donkey Drissa wasn’t his usual, lively self, he took him…

Training humane educators in Kenya
Outreach and Impact Advisor, Kate Scruton, reflects on the ICHE teacher training course and her…

Getting Abou back on his feet
Because of money raised by the Vet Charity Challenge, our vet team in Tunisia are…

Learning animal empathy in Mauritania
Our teachers in Nouakchott are spreading the message to ensure dignity for working animals. This…

Saving Emily’s life
Six-week-old foal Emily was so weak when she arrived at our SPANA Zimbabwe mobile clinic…

Marid gets a pedicure
Marid the donkey was struggling to walk due to uncomfortable, overgrown hooves. Read about SPANA’s treatment…

Filly-ing good thanks to SPANA
Katy came to our SPANA centres in pain after a head collar injury. Read about her…

Lesedi and Bontle get a new lease on life
Drought in Botswana had meant Lesedi and her foal Bontle were struggling to survive. Read about…

Getting Aoisha back on her feet
Aoisha normally spends her days ploughing fields alongside her owner Khaled, in the rural village…

SPANA’s calèche horse programme wins award from Moroccan Ministry of Tourism
We’re delighted to announce that SPANA’s calèche horse programme in Marrakech has been recognised by…

Relieving Caleb’s pain
Carthorse Caleb pulls loads of goods for up to six hours each day along the…

Finding Hope a home
Sadly, this beautiful little donkey recently became an orphan. Her mother was found suffering in…

Saving Salha the mule foal
Salha was only seven-months-old when her worried owner Tabj brought her along to the SPANA…

A brighter today, and a healthier Moro
13-year-old working horse Moro was in a sad state when his owner Andrés brought him…

Getting off on the right foot with Tin the elephant
SPANA arrived at the Kum Pin Cho camp in Myanmar, where around 30 working elephants…

A young foal faces a leopard attack
Young Ray, is a six-month-old foal from the Matsaudi village in Maun, Botswana. When he is…

Healing Genaro’s Summer Sores
Mobile clinics are a key part of SPANA’s work. They enable us to reach animals…

Treating a painful bite
SPANA’s weekly mobile clinic at the souk (market) in Sbeitla, in the north of Tunisia,…

Treating Leyla the unlucky donkey
Quite often, the injuries that SPANA vets and technicians treat are the result of unfortunate…

Shasho’s frightful fungus
Alongside wounds, lameness and respiratory conditions, one of the most common conditions encountered by SPANA…

Curing Abir’s colic
Abir the horse was brought to our Tunisia centre with a bad case of colic…

Supporting working donkey champions
For the past 20 years, SPANA has been supporting small organisations with up to £5,000…

Treating a young camel in Tunisia
As well as our three veterinary centres, our team in Tunisia operates three mobile clinics…

Finding a friend for Masun
Six-month-old Masun appeared at our Jordan centre gates one morning having been abandoned by her…

Helping young Jamil stand again
New-born foal Jamil was struggling to stand and nurse as a result of a bad…

Soothing Moh’s painful nose
Moh the desert camel was brought to one of our mobile clinics with a painful…

Relieving Saber’s discomfort
After struggling to get his eight-year-old horse Saber to eat, worried owner Kelifi Amara brought…

Helping a donkey out of a hole
Our team in Botswana recently had to help rescue a donkey who had gotten itself…

Healing Yamen the Camel
Yamen the camel is used by his owner Bahri Haddaji to take tourists out in…

A rest for Marwan
Khezri Mohamed brought his 11 year old donkey Marwan to the Bousalem clinic in Tunisia…

Ending the torment for Mais
Mais was brought to our veterinary centre in Wadi Al-Seer, Jordan, after she developed a…

Saving Format’s sight
Format, a 12-year-old cart donkey from Chivi District in Zimbabwe, spends her days pulling a…

Saving Aicha from parasites
Aicha, a horse in Morocco was recently facing a life-threatening situation. When she arrived at…

Healing Aman’s eye
Animal owner Eremias Getachew, aged 43, uses his horse Aman to get around in the…

Helping frail Fallou
Every month, hundreds of frail, older horses are shipped across the river from Senegal to…

Fixing Farook’s teeth
Farook pulls heavy cartloads of bricks along the dusty roads of Nouakchott in Mauritania. His…

Helping animals through better nutrition
Eight-year-old Bullo works as a gharry horse in the bustling town of Debre Zeit, 30…

Mensi finds a new home
Abdelhak Karmi, who is 12-years-old, spotted this beautiful foal lying on the ground at the end of…

Help arrives for Adama after costly error
Four-year-old horse Adama was brought to see SPANA vet Dr Amadou in Bamako, Mali, by…

Shock discovery following snowstorm rescue
A dramatic donkey rescue took place at our SPANA centre in Jordan earlier this year….

Replacing Raif’s old bit
Because of money raised by the Vet Charity Challenge, our vet team in Tunisia are…

Helping a bitten horse
When she’s healthy, six year-old working horse Vicks is used for riding and cattle mustering…

Getting Bullo back into his stride
When cart owner Almaztakele Megbaru noticed that her beloved six-year-old horse Bullo was having trouble…

Brave Saïda protects her foal
In Chemaia, Morocco, a 15-year-old donkey called Saïda was rushed to the SPANA centre with…

Saving Bullo’s sight
Working animals are often depended on by families as their main, if not only, source…

Healing Mary’s wounds
In the village of Ngomati in Zimbabwe, the weather is extremely hot and dry. However…

Saving Soja
Most people dread a trip to the dentist, but for working donkey Soja, some much…

Easing Rami’s pain
Thanks to money raised by the Vet Charity Challenge, our team in Tunisia are able to…

Curing Keyo
Six year-old horse Keyo was brought to our mobile clinic in Adama, Ethiopia, by his…

Helping Jamila breathe easy
Jamila, a 13 year-old donkey, was brought into our centre in Chemaia, Morocco, by her…

A nasty bite for Wissem the camel
Wissem the camel arrived at SPANA’s mobile clinic in Douz, Tunisia, with a deep wound…

Putting Papis on the road to recovery
12-year-old Papis has worked hard all his life. Every day he hauls a two-wheeled cart…

Healing Stimbok’s harness wounds
Mkoba is an urban township in Zimbabwe’s third largest city. Power cuts are frequent and…

Curing Maggie’s colic
Maggie a six year-old donkey was brought into SPANA’s centre in Chemaia, Morocco, suffering with…

Soothing Tirign’s stomach
When Tirign the horse was brought to SPANA’s mobile clinic in Adama, Ethiopia, his owner…

Making Samba stronger
Samba spent many years hauling carts in Senegal. Regarded as too old by his owner,…

Chaimae the abandoned mule
When Chaimae was spotted eating from rubbish dumps half a mile from SPANA’s centre in…

A true survivor
Najia, which means ‘survivor’, certainly lived up to her name when she was treated by…

Together for donkey’s years
Mohammad El Houni is 95 years old, and in donkey years, his faithful companion Marwa…

Giving Bella back her smile
When Najib brought his beloved horse Bella to the SPANA centre in Casablanca, Morocco, with…

Big Knit: Wadh’s tale
Knit Clarence the camel and help animals like Wadh. When a Bedouin man brought five-month-old…

Big Knit: Hani’s tale
Knit Duncan the donkey and help working animals like Hani. Hani the five-year-old donkey works…

Big Knit: Bulo’s tale
Knit Hattie the horse and help working animals like Bulo. Bulo the 16-year-old carthorse works…

Happy the horse
SPANA’s vet team at the Chémaia centre in Morocco helped a horse who was struggling…

The mule that needed a friend
When ten year old mule, Najia, arrived at the Chemaia centre in Morocco looking very…