TITLE: Enhancing the Welfare and Health of Donkeys in Migori and Marsabit Counties, and Increasing Vigilance Against the Donkey Skin Trade Through the Media Phase Two
From August 2022 to July 2023, ANAW implemented a project in Marsabit and Migori Counties titled ‘Enhancing the welfare and health of donkeys in Migori and Marsabit counties and increasing vigilance against donkey skin trade through the media’. The overall goal was to improve the health and welfare of donkeys in Marsabit and Migori Counties and to increase media involvement in campaigns against the cross-border movement of donkeys and slaughter. The project was completed successfully with all the objectives achieved as per the initial project design.
While working on improving the welfare and health of donkeys in the project areas of Migori County and Moyale Sub-County, it was noted that clinical interventions of equines, especially donkeys, were very limited. The project tried to address this by conducting training for the community and local service providers and carrying out donkey clinics. In Migori County, the veterinary output in terms of veterinary care was very limited as most of the practicing veterinarians are in private practice or stationed in county offices. In Moyale Sub-County, the 2022 project noted that there are areas where donkey owners have never received clinical intervention for their donkeys from a professional veterinarian and thus, this was a new phenomenon to them.
Additionally, ANAW took note of the several reported cases of donkey carcasses found slaughtered in bushes with some missing meat and others missing both meat and skin. This has since raised the suspicion that despite the closure of the four slaughterhouses in Kenya in 2020, there is a potential presence of donkey skin trading in the black market.
With these findings and observations, ANAW requested additional funding support from WTG to work towards further improving the welfare of donkeys while addressing the challenges that were identified, and the funding request was granted. With the approved funding, ANAW plans to work with the Local Service Providers that were trained, the local and County administrative officers and the community members in Migori and Moyale regions to further propagate good welfare practices of the donkeys in their localities, and work towards identifying the key drivers of the illegal bush slaughter of donkeys.
Specific objectives:
- To support the development and retention of positive change in knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and practices of 1,500 new donkey owners and users in Moyale-Sub County and Migori County with consequent improvement of donkey welfare by December 2024.
- To strengthen the quality and accessibility of services directly affecting donkey welfare by increasing the access to quality health services, and improving donkey services to 1,000 donkeys in Moyale-Sub County and 300 donkeys in Migori County by December 2024.
- To assess the key drivers of the illegal bush slaughter of donkeys and establish the presence and extent of the donkey skin trade within the country.
- To increase public awareness and understanding of donkey-related challenges, benefits, and the need for their welfare through extensive effective media engagement and communication
At the end of the project, it is expected that:
- The clinical interventions will be successful reaching a target number of 1,300 vaccinated and treated donkeys.
- The training and support will enhance the capacity and knowledge of LSPs, veterinary officers, and Para-veterinary officers.
- There will be improved knowledge and practices of donkey owners/users through training sessions and the adoption of good welfare practices.
- The increased media coverage and awareness about donkey welfare will increase public vigilance on the issues.
- A successful assessment of the presence and extent of illegal donkey skin trade in collaboration with Local Information Networks will be done, leading to increased community vigilance.