Donkey Sanctuary launches Nepal welfare project

The Donkey Sanctuary has launched a new project to improve mule welfare in Nepal.

The charity is delivering the Gallop for Good project as part of a consortium led by educational organisation Aasaman Nepal and including the Animal Health Training and Consultancy Service, Preservation of Environment and Social Welfare Association of Nepal, and Health Concern.

It aims to demonstrate how improving mule welfare will enhance their health and working conditions and improve the livelihoods of their owners.

Amid recent natural disasters in the region – said to have increased the burden on mule owners – part of the project focuses on disaster risk reduction and growing plant species that can not only provide green fodder for mules but also prevent landslides.

Welfare investment

The project will consider how diversifying owners’ livelihoods and increasing household income can reduce strain on the animals and facilitate more investment in their welfare.

It also includes school visits, community workshops and veterinary camps, where partner vets provide free assessments and treatment for equines and advice to their owners, as well as training local government vets and paravets.

The Donkey Sanctuary chief executive Marianne Steele said: “It was such a privilege to witness the launch of our Gallop for Good project on the ground in Nepal, and to see the immediate benefits to the mules and their owners at the veterinary camp.”

She added: “Through this project, The Donkey Sanctuary aims to demonstrate how the one welfare approach creates sustainable change for working mules, strengthening livelihoods and supporting environmental conservation.”