Abstract
A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2016 to April 2017 with the objective of assessing the welfare situation and identifying major health problem of donkeys in association with risk factors identification using physical examination and questionnaire survey in and around Hawassa town, Southern Ethiopia. Three hundred and eighty four donkeys were physically examined for health related and management problems and three hundred and eighty four donkey owners and cart drivers were interviewed for awareness and welfare assessment in the study area. Out of the total 384 donkeys, the prevalence of wound, lameness, skin problem, other illness signs, eye problem, dental problem and change on visible mucous membrane were found in 47.7, 38.8 36.2, 14.3, 9.4, 7.6 and 6.3%, respectively. Statistically significant (p<0.05) association was observed between the occurrence of wound and age, type of work, duration of work and body condition of the study animals. The prevalence of wound in old age groups, poor body conditioned animals, donkeys that transport construction material and those working for more than 10 h were 76.6, 74.6, 71.2 and 93.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the welfare problems association with donkey users’ ownership status, age, and educational status were assessed and 51.3% of cart drivers’ owners, 47.1% young drivers and 62.2% had educational status under grade four and have little experience on handling working donkeys. Out of 384 respondents, 63.2% were not aware of common animal welfare freedoms. The health and welfare problems of cart pulling donkeys in the study area were created and complicated with multiple influential factors. The whole community should participate on awareness creation, introduction of improved design of harnesses and carts, also training on animal welfare to owners should be given to reduce health and welfare problems on donkeys. Key words: Donkeys, health problems, risk factors, welfare, wound.
Highlights
The donkey (Equus asinus) is believed to be the first member of the Equidae family that was domesticated (Rossel et al, 2008)
The direct assessment data was collected by assessing age, work type, body condition, different wound types, distribution of wound, behavior, causes of lameness, origin of lameness, degree of lameness, dental problem, skin problem, mucous membrane problem, and other illness signs observed from the examined donkeys
Out of 183 wound exposed donkeys, 56.3% were found with abrasion, 24% were positive with laceration, 13.7% had puncture, and 6% were affected with incision wound (Figure 1)
Summary
The donkey (Equus asinus) is believed to be the first member of the Equidae family that was domesticated (Rossel et al, 2008). Equines are important animals to the resource poor communities in rural and urban areas of Ethiopia, providing traction power and transport services at low cost. Donkeys are one of the most important domestic animals most intimately associated with humans. They contribute a lot through their involvement in different social and economic sectors (Ayele et al, 2006). The donkey is harder than the horse, survives with much less attention, drives sustenance from poor quality food and can tolerate considerable heat and dehydration. This makes it a suitable animal for harsh environments and difficult working conditions. Its main role is that of a beast of burden, typically transporting materials such as grains, fuel wood, water, crop and building materials (Kiros et al, 2016)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
