Life's no beach for holiday donkeys

June 8 2009 , Written by thediversetraveller Published on #animaltrade, #AnimalWelfare, #atlasmountains, #British, #donkeys, #historicallandmarks, #horses, #Morocco, #over-worked, #overseasequinewelfarecharity, #theBrooke, #tourists, #travel, #Travel News, #traveller

In a trip to the Atlas mountains in Morocco, in 2004, I was horrified at the load the donkey carrying my bag and those of the six other travellers, was carrying (see above picture). The donkey handler and our guide tried to reassure me, 'they (donkeys) were used to it, they were fine'. Far from satisfied, my concern grew as I struggled to navigate the rocky terrain up the mountain, I could only imagine how the donkey was coping. But I did not know what to do about it.

I was right to be concerned, as hundreds of thousands of overseas horses and donkeys are suffering due to our desire to visit many out of the way places and landmarks. Yet, like myself, many of us express short-term concern, or are unaware of our impact, not knowing how to react when we encounter working animals abroad.

In Britain beach donkeys are regulated - no passengers over eight stone, a day off each week and a one hour lunch break - overseas it is a different story.

Horses and donkeys are used to taxi tourists across difficult and dangerous terrain to historical landmarks. The animals are often over-worked, under-watered and under-fed, and have the added burden of frequently carrying passengers who are too heavy for them.

Haggling is common as credit crunch tourists negotiate rock bottom prices and quibble over the last pound. Owners, whose livelihoods are dependent on these earnings, are often left short changed and are tempted to overwork the animals in their desperation to bring in enough money to feed their family.

Egypt and Jordan have been recognised by the Brooke, the UK's leading overseas equine welfare charity, as popular tourist destinations that widely use horses and donkeys for tourist trade. Recent ONS statistics show that the number of Brits travelling to Jordan doubled last year and that nearly half a million British people travelled to Egypt within the first nine months of 2008.The Brook, believe it is important that British travellers are aware of the issues concerning the use of working animals abroad.

The Brooke has released video footage and images from popular British tourist destinations including the Temples of Luxor and the Ancient City of Petra, showing that many tourists disregard the welfare of animals whilst they have fun in the sun.

The Brooke is calling on us all to take action against this anguish by following a simple code when using working horses and donkeys abroad.

Key points include:-

Match your size with the size of the animal - if you are heavy or tall, think whether a small donkey can really take your weight
Pay a fair price for a ride - bargaining means the animal will have to work harder and longer to bring in an income
One person per animal when riding
The number of people shouldn't exceed the number of wheels when using a carriage horse
Don't be distracted by decorations - check for hidden sores, wounds or prominent bones

Kimberly Wells, from the Brooke's Animal Welfare Team, who wrote the code states: "It may seem obvious, but it's being ignored. We see first hand the painful results - exhaustion, injuries, dehydration, heat stress, beatings and wounds - overworked animals suffering for tourism.

Tourists can have a hugely positive impact on how communities treat their animals so we are urging them to play their part and work with us to reduce animal suffering across the world. Every tourist has the power to reduce animal affliction - both by following these simple guidelines and also by flagging up concerns to local authorities and tour operators, which will encourage a needed change in poor animal welfare practices."

The Brooke's lifesaving work helps ease animal suffering across the developing world, while supporting the livelihoods of the owners who depend on their animals to bring in an income.

For more information or to see the code in full visit www.thebrooke.org/travel

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