International Working Animal Day is observed every year on the 15th of June to raise awareness about the crucial role played by working animals around the world. They are an important part in many people’s lives, from providing labour for agriculture to transporting food and water. Yet, many face a life of hardship, injury and mistreatment, without access to the veterinary care they desperately need. Many working animals are too remote to benefit from traditional veterinary services and in many regions species-specific expertise is scarce. At WVS, we are working to change this.
Around the world, from Mozambique to India we are providing veterinary care to working animals. We are responding to individual animal needs through veterinary care, but our work goes far beyond clinical treatment. We focus on bridging gaps in veterinary knowledge by offering training opportunities for professionals and equipping owners with essential support and guidance. This way, we can build local knowledge, and animals will continue to receive high quality care after we have gone.
2024 was a year of growth for our large animal work, as we expanded into new areas and countries; our teams treated 14,097 equines and large animals worldwide. Keep reading to hear about some of our new large animal projects.
Project spotlight: Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe large animals are of essential importance economically for many communities, yet there is a stark lack of accessible veterinary services and knowledge on these animals. This has resulted in preventable deaths and welfare issues. Even in areas where people can access veterinary care for their livestock, many are unable to do so for their donkeys.
In April, we launched WVS Zimbabwe Livestock clinic, allowing our teams to travel around to different communities to provide crucial veterinary care and training. The first activity of our new mobile clinic was joining a Dipping Day at Muhati dip tank in Mhondoro, Mashonaland West Province. Dip tanks in Zimbabwe are an effective tool to allow people to treat large quantities of animals at once by immersing them in solutions to control livestock diseases. Dr Caroline, WVS Taskforce vet, joined this day alongside Veterinary Extension Workers (VEW) from the Department of Veterinary Service (DVS) to provide free veterinary care.
The community came to this outreach with their cattle and donkeys, with our team providing treatment for a few issues, including parasites, tick-borne diseases, skin conditions, and lameness. Almost 900 cattle were presented for internal and external parasite control. It was discovered that many had poor body conditions because of inadequate nutrition and lack of veterinary attention, while others had deep sores from excessive whipping and being hit by sticks. The presence of donkeys brought to light another welfare issue with many seen to be drawing carts with inappropriate equipment for their anatomy. We were able to offer advice for owners on these welfare issues, empowering them to manage their animals’ day to day need that will make a big difference for these animals. Our future plans are to work with DVS to ensure that all dip tanks are attended.
Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), bacterial skin infection, whipping wounds and warts.
Donkeys pulling carts using wooden cattle yokes.
In May, we conducted our first donkey clinic, where we examined and provided care for almost 350 donkeys. Whilst providing this essential care, we also provided refresher training for DVS staff and the community on basic donkey health and welfare, to help them effectively respond to donkey cases. This included training on physical examination, handling, harness assessment, and parasite treatment. It was noted that there are significant knowledge gaps amongst the community on proper use of harnesses and cart modification. Our team were able to talk to owners and provide advice and tips on how small changes can significantly improve the welfare of their donkeys.
“Donkeys do not enjoy the same privileges given to livestock from government initiatives and even us at DVS did not attend much to donkeys. This is the first donkey clinic since my 12 years in service, and I have learnt a lot, especially identifying and managing common disease conditions and now, me and my team can provide better services to our communities.” Ms. T. Bhalufu, Veterinary Extension Worker in Zimbabwe.
Project spotlight: Egypt
In Egypt, we have been working with and supporting Egypt Equine Aid (EEA), a charity dedicated to improving the welfare of working equines and donkeys in Cairo. The clinic is situated close to Giza, and as such many working animals cared for are those used in the tourism industry, as well as agricultural and draft animals. The overstretched veterinary team have been struggling with the number of cases they were receiving. Our WVS Taskforce consultant, Dr Saad, has been supporting EEA with clinical support and providing guidance and assistance, while also having a capacity building objective. His aim was to set up an internship programme, to ensure quality veterinary care for the future for both EEA and other local equine clinics.
The Egypt Equine Aid/WVS training project was launched in March under Dr Khouloud, with the main objective being to provide quality training to EEA interns to help build the veterinary team to ensure they can continue their mission into the future. The interns have daily supervision in advanced clinical procedures including imaging and nerve blocks, surgical techniques and wound management, as well as general anaesthesia and effective pain management. An atmosphere of learning and reflection has been fostered at the clinic, with the team promoting clinical discussion and online sessions.
In May, there were four interns active in the programme. They are independently managing certain outpatient cases under supervision, which has boosted their clinical confidence and accountability. They meet to discuss these cases daily during rounds to encourage peer feedback, clinical reasoning and team discussion. This programme of training, mentorship and knowledge exchange has contributed to building a stronger veterinary team at EEA – sustainably improving the standard of care for working equines.
Dr Ghaidaa, one of the EEA interns, commented on her experience so far:
“I found the training to be informative and engaging, and I truly appreciate Khouloud’s dedication to making the experience valuable for participants. Khouloud encouraged us to think critically and develop our problem-solving skills through interactive discussions and relevant reading. I am grateful for the experience and appreciate Kouloud’s efforts to our learning and growth.”
Our equine work globally is kindly supported by The Marchig Animal Welfare Trust.
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