Bam Animal Clinics protects donkeys in eastern Uganda

Animal-Kind International Partner Organization, Bam Animal Clinics, trains donkey owners to make humane saddles to protect their donkeys from injuries, and provides free vet care for donkeys in eastern Uganda.

In February, with AKI support, the Bam team trained donkey owners in Kween District, Mengya and Kitawoi sub-counties in eastern Uganda, to make, use, and maintain humane saddles out of sisal (burlap) sacks:

Donkey owners gather at the training ground and get ready to learn how to make sisal saddles to protect their donkeys

Each participant makes a humane saddle and gets to keep it -at no cost to them-thanks to Animal-Kind International's partnership with Bam

Donkey owners learn how to fit a donkey with a humane saddle

The Bam team demonstrates how to correctly use the humane saddle so that it protects the donkey

In conjunction with the training, the Bam team holds free vet clinics for donkeys. Most donkeys that were brought to the vet clinic had wounds from carrying heavy loads without adequate protection (i.e., humane saddles, a new concept for these groups of donkey owners).

Donkey with wounds from carrying heavy loads without a protective saddle

The Bam team found and treated several other significant injuries and wounds.

This donkey (below) was brought to one of Bam's clinics, limping and with a sore, swollen leg. The owner stated that the donkey had fought with another donkey and had fallen. Upon examination, the Bam team realized that a bone was dislocated. The team treated the injured leg, advised the owner to let the donkey rest, and arranged for follow-up by a local Bam team member.

Donkey was limping because of an injury he sustained when fighting with another donkey

Donkey with an injured leg gets treated by the Bam team

Most donkeys that the Bam team saw had overgrown hooves (photo below). Even the very old donkeys in this area never had their hooves trimmed until the Bam team showed up.

Most donkeys' hooves needed filing

The worst case they saw during their February vet clinics was this donkey (photo below), who had a painful, deep injury from a machete. Moses, the owner, said that his neighbor cut the donkey that very day, after finding him in his field and using the machete to chase him.

The Bam team stitched the deep and painful machete wound

The Bam team cleaned the wound and stitched it up. They gave the owner after-care instructions and arranged to have a local team member check on the donkey in a couple of weeks to make sure the cut healed and will be removing stitches when it's time.

We are grateful that the Bam Animal Clinics team could be there to protect and care for these donkeys in eastern Uganda, where the need is great and the human population is impoverished and highly dependent on their donkeys.