THE
SOAS MULE AND DONKEY CONFERENCE
Our fifth biennial conference
was held on
Saturday
8 and Sunday 9 October 2016
Room
4429 – SOAS Main Building
School of Oriental and African Studies [SOAS], Russell Square,
London WC1H 0XG
_____________________________________________________________
Programme
of presenters
SATURDAY 8 OCTOBER 2016
__________________________________________________________
1. Some phenotypic characteristics of Turkish donkeys and
mules
Orhan Yilmaz [Ardahan
University, Turkey]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
2. An Amiata donkey milk chain for the safeguard of an endangered
breed
Giuseppe Ragona
[Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana] et al.
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
__________________________________________________________
11.00-11.30am – Coffee – SOAS cafeteria
__________________________________________________________
3. A historical
account of the employment of the mule in the Italian army
Giovanni Brajon [Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
4. A documentary about donkeys and institutional care
David Redmon [University of Kent]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
__________________________________________________________
12.30-2.00pm – LUNCH __________________________________________________________
5. Glimpses of long-distance pack donkeys
Jill Goulder [Institute of
Archaeology, University College London]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
6. Earliest
evidence for bit wear, carrying of heavy loads, and transport of goods from distant lands by
domestic donkeys from the Early Bronze of the southern Levant
Haskel J. Greenfield
[University of Manitoba] – co-authors Annie Brown, Elizabeth Arnold, Itzhaq
Shai, Aren Maeir
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
__________________________________________________________
3.00-3.30pm – Tea – SOAS cafeteria
__________________________________________________________
7. The culture and significance of donkey usage as
Livestock Units on Agriculture Schemes in Ireland
Joe Collins [Donkey Sanctuary,
Ireland]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
8. Amazing invisible donkeys:
Revealing the social and economic value of working donkeys in Ethiopia
Helen Rebecca Whay [School of
Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol] – co-authors: M. Geiger, H. Buller,
G. Tefera Engida and M. Getachew
[Link to
abstract]
[Download PDF of
paper]
__________________________________________________________
SUNDAY
9 OCTOBER 2016
__________________________________________________________
9. The Roboski Massacre – December 2011: Kurds, mules and
cross-border trade
Ed Emery [SOAS, University of
London]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
10. Beasts of Burden: The
usage of mules and donkeys in rural and urban Morocco
Gwyneth Talley [University of
California-Los Angeles]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
__________________________________________________________
11.00-11.30 – Coffee – SOAS cafeteria
__________________________________________________________
11. Falling off a donkey:
Why the Mongols have no love for donkeys and mules
Veronika Veit [University of Bonn]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
12. Mules in Central
America pre-Panama Canal
John Barker
[Independent researcher]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
13. Eating the flesh of wild,
domestic, and hybrid equids: a historical survey
William G. Clarence-Smith,
SOAS, University of London
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
__________________________________________________________
LUNCH __________________________________________________________
14. Can Lebanese donkeys
survive urban expansion and social derision?
Nasser Kalawoun [Independent
researcher]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
15. Donkeys: A neglected and underutilised genetic
resource in Botswana
Ketshephaone Thutwa and
Shalaulani J. Nsoso [Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
16. Animal Bodies and Performativity: Exploring the Lives of Donkeys
in Botswana
Marta Geiger [London School of Economics and
Political Science] and Alice Hovorka [Queens University, Ontario]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
_________________________
NOTE
Dr Danlami Moses Ogah [Nasarawa State University,
Nigeria], who was planning to speak on the importance of the donkey among
pastoralists in Northern Nigeria, regrets that for funding reasons he will not
be able to attend the conference.
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
______________________________________________________________
ABSTRACTS
IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER OF PRESENTERS
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[Top]
Mules in Central America pre-Panama Canal
John Barker
[Independent researcher]
In an earlier paper I described the impact of the donkey and the mule on the Latin American world post-Columbus. External events subsequently affected their use in the continent’s trade. I shall mention the impact of British embargos and most of all the creation of the Panama Canal and how that more or less destroyed the flourishing business of mule and donkey trains carrying freight across land from the Atlantic to the Pacific and vice versa.
E-mail: [email protected]
___________________________________________________
[Top]
A historical account of the employment of the mule in the Italian armed forces
Giovanni Brajon1 and Giuseppe Vilardo2
1Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana ‘M.
Aleandri’ – Via Castelpulci 43 – 50018 – Scandicci (Italy)
2Major General, formerly head of the Veterinary Department of the logistics command of the Italian army
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this paper is to describe the history of the use of mules in the Italian army, with specific regard to the Alpine troops (Alpini). The sources consist of documents, references to articles and publications, related to the environment of the Alpine soldiers. These are further integrated with the personal experiences of one of the co-authors as veterinary officer in the Italian armed forces, in a mountain artillery group stationed in Pontebba (Friuli Venezia Giulia), at the border between Italy, Austria and Former Yugoslavia, from 1984 to 1985.
The use of animals such as horses, mules, donkeys, dogs, carrier pigeons etc in the field of warfare was particularly developed during the First World War. The horse is surely the first animal that comes to mind. Its use at the front has however changed since the Napoleonic period, where cavalry took directly part to the battles. However the mule, the result of the crossbreed between a stallion donkey and a mare, has also carried played a relevant role. It was already known in the past, and was considered precious for the transportation of luggage, weapons and provisions on the mountain front.
During the Second World War the number of mules with the Italian Alpine troops was estimated at about 520,000 units. With the decline of mule usage we witness the attempt to substitute the mule’s role with mechanical means of transport: the automated mule.
In the companies in each barracks each mule was assigned a soldier, called “conducente” (driver), who, in the Alpine infantry, was responsble for looking after of his own animal during his period of military service. When soldiers completed their military service the rules for equine care were passed down to the newcomers. The Veterinary Officer’s task was to apply simple principles in training the newcomers, giving them a few basic rules.
E-mails: [email protected]
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[Top]
Eating the flesh of wild, domestic,
and hybrid equids: a historical survey
William G. Clarence-Smith,
SOAS, University of London
ABSTRACT:
All equids are forbidden meat to Hindus, for those who
are not strict vegetarians, albeit for different reasons: the horse is a noble
reincarnation, the donkey is a base one, and the mule is a sterile abomination.
However ‘Tribals’ eat donkey to this day. Theravada Buddhists abstain on Hindu
lines, but not all Mahayana Buddhists. Donkey meat is a delicacy in North
China, and mules and hinnies are also eaten. The widespread Chinese utilization
of donkey hides encourages this. Judaism prohibited eating the flesh of the
domestic donkey and the mule. Islam followed this line, according to all sects
and schools of law, whereas the wild ass is allowed, even if the line between
wild and feral animals can be a tricky one. Ethiopian Christians, following
Judaic law, do not eat equids. The Pope forbade the eating of horse quite early
in the Christian era, because Germanic tribes risked slipping back into
paganism by sacrificing horses, but the ban did not formally extend to donkeys
and mules. Much donkey meat certainly entered sausages in modern France and
Italy. Moreover, Christian Africans eat donkey, as poor people’s food, with
many northern Nigerian donkeys ending up in southern cooking pots. Animists are
a diverse group. Some Amerindian peoples singled out mule as a preferred meat,
after its introduction by Europeans, at a time when the few donkeys were kept
to breed mules. In modern
E-mail: [email protected]
___________________________________________________
[Top]
The culture and significance of donkey usage as Livestock Units on
Agriculture Schemes in Ireland
Joe Collins [Donkey Sanctuary,
Ireland]
Research conducted out of University
College Dublin School of Veterinary Medicine, UCD Belfield, Dublin 4, and
sponsored by The Donkey Sanctuary.
ABSTRACT:
A variety of agriculture subsidy schemes
apply to the farming of land in Ireland. In order to demonstrate (as required)
for one such – ‘Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC)’ – farmers (in the Republic
of Ireland) can use any registered donkey (but only certain horses) as
‘Livestock Units (LUs)’ for the purpose of Stocking Density Calculations.
Donkeys have proven an attractive ‘low-cost’ option in particular on marginal
grazing land. Equines are not eligible for
equivalent schemes in Northern Ireland. There is real expectation that donkey
eligibility criteria will be reviewed for future iterations of ANC.
The
numbers of donkeys (and horses) recorded as LUs on ANC and the value of
payments that thus accrued to these applicants is reported for each of 26
counties for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014: in 2014, these were 2,544
donkeys and almost €1.6M. The numbers of unwanted and otherwise relinquished
donkeys are also reported. The future value (and welfare) of enrolled and
already-bred-but-not-yet-enrolled donkeys will be significantly affected not alone
by actual changes to donkey eligibility but also by the uncertainty engendered
by the prospect of change. Caution and careful consideration of potential
unintended consequences including increased donkey relinquishments is thus
urged.
E-mail: [email protected]
___________________________________________________
[Top]
The Roboski Massacre – December
2011: Kurds, mules and cross-border trade
Ed Emery [SOAS, University of
London]
ABSTRACT: In December 2011 about 40
male villagers from Roboski (Uludere) close to the Turkey-Iraq border were
killed in a premeditated attack by Turkish military fighter planes. Together
with their mules they had been transporting goods across the border. The event
has huge symbolic resonance for the Kurds. This paper will examine border
issues; it will also examine the place of mules in this story.
E-mail: [email protected]
___________________________________________________
[Top]
Animal Bodies
and Performativity: Exploring the Lives of Donkeys in Botswana
Marta Geiger [London School of Economics and
Political Science] and Alice Hovorka [Queens University, Ontario]
ABSTRACT:
Donkeys provide
affordable and accessible means of transport, draught power, and food security
for smallholder farmers in and around Maun, Botswana. Their role and welfare is
often compromised by people’s extensive use of and inability to care for their
animals given their individual or broader circumstances. Our paper explores the
lives of donkeys and donkey-human relations in Botswana. We apply a feminist
posthumanist iteration of performativity to illustrate and explain who the
donkey is, what they experience, and the context within and through which these
performances are constituted. Methodologically, we merge tools from animal
welfare science with social science to unearth donkey physical and emotional
states of being, as well as the ways in which human’s use, care for, and value
donkeys in this particular context.
Our research findings, based on participant
observation, donkey welfare assessments, and human owner interviews, reveal
that the lived experiences of donkeys in and around Maun, Botswana are full of
purpose and contributions to human livelihoods in terms of transport,
ploughing, fertilizer, food, and income-generation. Despite these
contributions, donkeys experience much drudgery and hardship, and the majority
of those surveyed exhibit compromised physical and emotional welfare in terms
of thin body condition, long and cracked hooves, sore and scar prevalence, poor
coat condition, unresponsiveness, disinterest, tail stillness, and tense ears.
Such donkey subjectivities may be understood and explained through the
words-that-describe and practices-that-produce donkeys.
Donkey subjects are perceived as vital contributors
to livelihoods yet also labeled ‘companion animals’ rendered invisible and
marginalized in government policy, planning, outreach
services, as well as within people’s daily practices resulting in overuse,
mistreatment, and limited care of their donkeys. Donkeys being calm, diligent,
and hearty animals translate into human perceptions that they are stubborn,
meant-to-work, and self-sufficient, and in turn also reinforce people’s daily
practices with them. Finally, donkey identity and experiences are embedded
within and emerge from particular relations of power and broader processes
rooted in the context at hand. Donkey spatiality then is rooted in their
specific performances as working animals, lesser than cattle, and pathways out
of poverty, all of which (re)produce their central role in people’s lives and
the resultant compromised welfare status that undermines their performance.
These findings illustrate clearly that animal and
human lives are deeply intertwined with significant implications for both
animal and human wellbeing. Our research provides valuable empirical
information confirming the roles and contributions of donkeys to smallholder
farmers in and around Maun, Botswana; it also provides a baseline of donkey
welfare indicators to inform community-based outreach programming and
government strategic planning. Our research contributes to scholarship through an
extended notion of performativity that embraces its necessarily discursive,
material and relational aspects and applies it to nonhuman animals through a
methodological merger of social science and animal welfare science. Our
research ultimately offers key insights on animal-human relations and the
contexts within which all beings become who they are and experience what they
do.
E-mail: [email protected]
___________________________________________________
[Top]
Glimpses of long-distance pack
donkeys
Jill Goulder [Institute of
Archaeology, University College London]
ABSTRACT:
Long-distance
caravans are often deliberately invisible, from prehistory to today, preferring
to stay under the radar of tax-hungry authorities and preying bandits, but
nowadays also unfortunately of the attentions of NGOs. There is a fine line in
history between entrepreneurial trading and smuggling; donkeys are ideally
suited to taking back-routes and detours, to avoid taxes and attacks. Studies
of this sector are understandably very limited, but a picture of the operation
of caravans in antiquity can gradually be built up. Physical route information
has been collected for example through archaeological investigation of the
3rd-millennium BC Abu Ballas donkey-caravan trail in Egypt, while ethnographic
accounts from recent centuries, from China to Africa, give glimpses of the
strategies and daily operation of sometimes vast donkey-caravans carrying salt
and other goods long distances, with equipment differing little from thousands
of years before. Long-distance donkey-caravans became a significant transport
mode In Mesopotamia and the southern Levant from the late 4th millennium BC;
archaeological commentary on Mesopotamia in particular focused until recently
on river-boat transport as emphasised in official records, but now there is
growing recognition of the complementary role of the less visible donkeys.
E-mail: [email protected]
___________________________________________________
[Top]
Earliest evidence for bit wear, carrying of heavy loads, and transport of goods
from distant lands by domestic
donkeys from the Early Bronze of the southern Levant
Haskel J. Greenfield
[University of Manitoba] – co-authors Annie Brown, Elizabeth Arnold, Itzhaq
Shai, Aren Maeir
ABSTRACT: Soon after the donkey is domesticated in
the 4th millennium BCE in NE Africa, it spreads across the Near East and begins
to transform the nature of production and distribution of goods and peoples.
Yet the roles and importance of early domestic donkeys during the Early Bronze
Age of the Near East are still poorly known and often somewhat controversial.
In this paper, we present the results of recent research on early domestic
donkey remains that have recently been recovered and analysed from the Early
Bronze Age III horizons at Tell es-Safi/Gath, Israel. A fully articulated and
parts of several disarticulated osteological donkey remains and associated
ceramic and metal artefacts are used to demonstrate that early domestic donkeys
were used for ritual sacrifice, riding and carry of heavy burdens, and
transport of goods often from distant lands.
E-mail: [email protected]
___________________________________________________
[Top]
Can Lebanese donkeys survive urban
expansion and social derision?
Nasser Kalawoun [Independent
researcher]
ABSTRACT: Donkeys of Lebanon are facing many
challenges since the 1950's due to changes of modes of production. Numerous
factors such as urban expansion, higher degree of literacy and migration,
continuous conflict and social prejudice have worked against this animal.
Therefore, it would be useful to present study covering the following points:
* A historical overview of Donkeys of
Lebanon and their importance in this mountainous country. Why having a Cypriot
donkey?
* Analysis of anthropological factors: the
profession of Mukkaris in business of donkey caravans versus social derision
* Donkeys in Lebanese reality: an amicable
pet or a social taboo?
* Donkeys in Lebanese folklore, arts,
literature and social events – such as racing.
* Lack of animal caring centres,
veterinary care and sanctuaries.
* Norms of adapting western values:
accepting the donkey, by pop stars for instance, to acquire reputation for
caring for animals.
* Is there is future for the donkey in a
receding physical space? While its presence in the social and linguistic
spheres, albeit negative, is daily and overwhelming among all social strata.
E-mail:
[email protected]
___________________________________________________
[Top]
The importance of donkeys among pastoralists in
Northern Nigeria
Danlami Moses
Ogah* and Gambo Mary Abisabo
Ogah1
ABSTRACT: The domestic donkey (Equus asinus) is a
descendant of the African wild ass, which is indigenous to the African continent.
Donkeys are not conventional sources of meat; the primary function of donkey in
northern Nigeria has traditionally been as a pack animal. In most parts of
northern Nigeria 90% of smallholder and
pastoralist farmers own donkeys. The donkeys are mostly inherited from parents
and are an integral part of the pastoral system. The primary role of these
donkeys are to carry loads and as personal transport, which include things
like drawing water, carrying mud to repair compound walls,
moving manure from compounds to fields, transporting crop residues from fields,
bringing harvested crops back to compounds,
carrying goods to market. Some farmers who do not own donkey commonly
hire from owners to transport goods such as crops or residues from the fields to
the compounds. Nigeria has a large donkey population and these donkeys have
significant socioeconomic benefits to the rural communities despite the fact
that donkeys are perceived by most people and society in general as less
valuable than other livestock. Thus
have been subjected to poor management, lack of knowledge, lack of
health care and negative attitudes from the community
CV:
Dr Danlami Moses Ogah: Holds a PhD in Animal
breeding and genetics from University of Agriculture Makurdi. Currently an
Associate Professor in the Department of Animal Science, Faculty of
Agriculture, Nasarawa State University keffi, Shabu-lafia campus. Specialises
in animal population genetics, quantitative genetics and genomics. Worked in areas of indigenous animal population
diversity
Gambo
Mary Abisabo Ogah: Holds a BSc. (Hons) in Sociology from Bayero
University Kano. Works with Independent National Electoral Commission
headquarters, Lafia. She has also engaged
in researches associated with animal and human interaction and
sustainability.
*
Animal Science Department, [Faculty of Agriculture, Nasarawa State University]
1 Independent National Electoral Commission
Headquarters, Lafia
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[Top]
An Amiata donkey milk chain for the safeguard of an endangered breed
Giuseppe Ragona [Istituto
Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana ]
1Brajon G., 1Ragona G., 1Fagiolo
A., 1Roncoroni C., 2Veneziano V., 3Altomonte
I., 3Salari F., 4Martini M.
ABSTRACT: The Amiata donkey is a local breed
native to Mount Amiata, in the heart of Tuscany (central Italy). The Amiata
population is a descendant of the North African donkey, and it’s characterized
by grey coat, zebra stripes on the legs and shoulder cross, reaching about 140
cm at the withers. Amiata donkeys became almost extinct in the 1980s. In 1993,
this breed was officially recognized, however programmes to protect and promote
these donkeys have only recently been put in place, enabling the population to
reach the current number of about 2270 heads. The Amiatina breed was listed as
"endangered" by FAO in 2007.
Recently an Amiata donkey dairy
farm was created, which represents a focus point for the protection of this
breed.
This communication intends to
present our deepenings about farm management, donkey health and donkey milk
production. Our studies concern infectious
diseases monitoring, anthelmintic control programmes, Amiata donkey milk
composition and donkey milk pasteurization. Our goals are to guarantee not
only the particular donkey milk quality, but also food safety and donkey
welfare. Recently a two-years research project has started with the
collaboration of Florence Children’s Hospital ‘Meyer’, on the use of Amiata
donkey milk in children with cow’s protein allergy. This project means a great
value for sustainibility of the Amiata donkey milk chain.
REFERENCES
Martini M., I., Altomonte, F.,
Salari, A.M. Caroli [2014]: Short communication: Monitoring nutritional quality
of Amiata donkey milk: Effects of lactation and productive season. J. Dairy
Sci. 97: 6819-6822.
Martini M., I., Altomonte, F.,
Salari [2014]: Amiata donkeys: fat globule characteristics, milk gross
composition and fatty acids. Ital. J. Anim. Sci. 13:123-126.
Ragona G., M., Martini, M.,
Benedetti, F., Salari, I., Altomonte, I., Paladini, A., Piazza, E., De Rienzo,
S.Casini, G.Brajon [2015]: Health investigation and milk quality evaluation in
native Amiata donkeys (Equus asinus). Poster presentation at IDF World
Dairy Summit Vilnius, Lithuania, September 20-24, 2015.
Ragona, G., A., Lombardo, A.,
Piazza, I., Paladini, G., Brocherel, D., Casati, F., Corrias, G., Brajon
[2015]: Hygiene and animal health requirements for donkey milk production.
Poster presentation at IDF World Dairy Summit Vilnius, Lithuania, September
20-24, 2015.
Authors:
1Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del
Lazio e della Toscana 'M. Aleandri', Italy
2Department of Veterinary
Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples, Italy
3Interdepartmental Centre of
Agro-Environmental Research ‘Enrico Avanzi’, University of Pisa, Italy
4Department of Veterinary Sciences,
University of Pisa, Italy
E-mail: [email protected]
_____________________________________________
[Top]
A documentary about donkeys and institutional care
David Redmon [University of Kent]
ABSTRACT:
The documentary explores how donkeys inhabit and respond to a space of
institutional care work.
Donkey merges the fine art of digital filmmaking with ethnographic research to
depict a "video ethnography" on abused, abandoned, and rescued
donkeys in the UK and Ireland. Video Ethnography has recently garnered momentum
in the social sciences by researchers working in the fields of sensory
ethnography. My ethnographic research examines the care work given to donkeys,
and how donkeys inhabit a human-made space.
E-mail:
[email protected]
___________________________________________________
[Top]
Beasts of Burden: The usage of
mules and donkeys in rural and urban Morocco
Gwyneth Talley [University of
California-Los Angeles]
ABSTRACT: As
Morocco makes headlines for their new solar-power plant, there is one natural
form of ecofriendly power that rural and urban poor make use of more than the
sun: mules and donkeys. These animals are still used widely in urban areas
(aside from Casablanca and Rabat) and rural agricultural areas to transport
people, breed, plow fields, and carry water. They are used in moving everything
from propane bottles to Coca-Cola through the winding streets of the old cities
and agricultural goods to market. When the animals become too old to work or
are injured beyond recovery, they are slaughtered to feed dogs or zoo animals
(Belemlih & Chemlal 2007). Davis and Frappier wrote “the example of the
medina of Fes, Morocco, clearly demonstrates the significance of working equids
for the medina’s economy and their importance in the lives of its inhabitants”
(2000). The economics of these mules and donkeys are systematically linked to
their owner’s position in Moroccan society. Through interviews and
observations, this paper compares and contrasts the usages and conditions of
the mules and donkeys working in the urban centers such as Fes, Marrakesh, and
El Jadida, and the rural areas of mountainous and desert conditions of
Chefchaouen, Temara, and Meknes.
E-mail: [email protected]
___________________________________________________
[Top]
Falling off a
donkey: Why the Mongols have no love for donkeys and mules
Veronika Veit [University of Bonn]
ABSTRACT: Although the natural occurrance of wild asses (khulan) and later the occurrance of donkeys and mules in Central Asia has been a well-known fact since the time of the Scythians and the Hsiung-nu, the use of – and respect for – these animals among the Mongols are rather a rarity – both in the past as well as today.
To
trace possible reasons for this attitude, autochthonal as well as foreign
sources have been consulted – mostly historical and observations by travellers.
The findings, somewhat medley in character, have been divided into five
sections respectively, elaborating the following points: general occurrence;
objects of trade; travelling accounts; livestock today; Mongolian folklore.
E-mail: [email protected]
___________________________________________________
[Top]
Donkeys: A neglected and
underutilised genetic resource in Botswana
Ketshephaone Thutwa and
Shalaulani J. Nsoso [Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources]
ABSTRACT: Donkeys in Botswana are mainly used for draught power and very few people eat their meat and drink their milk. The aim of this paper was to review population, uses, health and management of donkeys in Botswana. Furthermore, alternative uses that should be explored to promote and make donkeys of more socio-economic importance to the resource poor farmers in the country are discussed. Donkey population has been increasing although there were some fluctuations in other years. It stood at 493 000 in 2003 and it was 310 000 in 2013. The donkeys are mainly used for draught power, namely: ploughing, cart pulling to transport fire woods, crop harvests and water in cattle posts. They are not a source of direct income. Donkeys do not easily succumb to diseases and parasites, therefore, most farmers are ignorant of diseases affecting donkeys in Botswana. The management of donkeys in Botswana is mainly characterised by limited supplementary feeding, poor housing and lack of veterinary care. The donkey industry could be promoted to contribute to food security and national economy through dairy farming, meat and hides exports to other countries. Such promotion could increase the value of donkeys in Botswana.
Key word: Botswana, donkey, draft power, meat, milk
E-mail: [email protected]
___________________________________________________
[Top]
Amazing invisible donkeys: Revealing the social and economic value of
working donkeys in Ethiopia
Helen Rebecca Whay [School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol]1
Co-authors:
Geiger M1, Buller H2, Tefera Engida G3,
Getachew M4
ABSTRACT: Ethiopia has the largest population of donkeys in Africa, many supporting poor and marginalised people through provision of draught power and transport. They are a crucial component of Ethiopia’s growing economy and part of society’s social and cultural fabric. Despite this, the contributions of donkeys are described in simplistic terms and are largely unrecognised by policy makers and drivers of political change.
This study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of the social and economic value of donkeys. Thirty donkey users and community members were interviewed to investigate how humans perceived the roles of donkeys in their lives. Findings revealed that donkeys supported households by creating economic security, independence and participation in saving schemes. In addition, donkeys provided social status, empowerment to marginalized groups such as women and the very poor, and provided a sense of companionship. Despite these valuable contributions, working donkeys were also seen to hold lowly status, were misunderstood, and were given little husbandry and healthcare attention.
These finding allowed us to
describe the importance of working donkeys to humans through seven interwoven
themes: care, affect, status, gender dynamics, economic impact, empowerment,
and resilience. These themes illustrate the complexity of the contributions
donkeys make to peoples’ lives.
Authors:
1. School of
Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU
2.
Department of Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University
of Exeter, Prince of Wales Road, Exeter, EX4 4SB
3.
Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA), 14 John St, London WC1N
2EB
4. The Donkey Sanctuary, Slade House Farm, Sidmouth, Devon EX10 0NU
E-mail: [email protected]
___________________________________________________
[Top]
Some phenotypic characteristics of
Turkish donkeys and mules
Orhan Yilmaz [Ardahan
University, Turkey]
ABSTRACT [1]: This study was carried out to determine
the morphological traits, distributions of body coat colour and body
measurements of donkeys raised in the East and Southeast of Turkey by comparing
with other donkey breeds of the world. For this purpose a total of 180 male and
108 female donkeys was measured. Descriptive statistics results yielded the
following means: for withers height was 101.3 cm, height at rump 103.2 cm, body
length 104.5 cm, heart girth circumference 112.8 cm, chest depth 45.6 cm, chest
width 29.4 cm, cannon circumference 13.5 cm, head length 48.6 cm and ear length
21.9 cm respectively. In this study the body coat color frequencies among the donkeys
were: mouse gray 38.9%, white 19.1%, black 21.9%, and brown 20.1%.
Key words: Equus asinus, native breed, morphologic
trait, body measurement, body coat colour.
ABSTRACT [2]: Up to this time there were neither data
nor research about Turkish until Yilmaz studied. This study was realized to
define the some phenotypic characteristics of Turkish mules raised in several
regions by comparing with some mules raised in UK. A total of 236 (121 males
and 115 females) mules in four age groups (3-5, 6-7, 8-9 and 10-30 years) used
in the provinces of Balikesir, Hakkari, Icel, Mardin, Ordu, Sirnak, and Van
were included in the study. Descriptive statistics and comparison results of
morphologic traits for withers height were 130.6±0.49, height at rump 130.7±0.50,
body length 133.9±0.49 cm, heart girth circumference 149.6±0.46, chest depth
59.7±0.34, cannon circumference 16.5±0.07, and head length 55.6±0.26 cm. The
distributions of colour were: bay 42.8%, white 23.7%, black 16.5%, chestnut
7.6%, mouse gray 7.6%, buckskin 0.8% and isabelline 0.8%. There was not a
significant difference for morphological dimensions except the traits of cannon
circumference and head length being heigher (P<0.05, P<0.01) in males
than in the females. The body sizes increased (P<0.01) with increase in the
age of mules. After two years of age, however, there were minor growth in the
Turkish mules. The study demonstrated that Turkish mules are native farm animal
source of Turkey and they were larger than UK mules.
Key words: Equus mulus, draught animal,
morphologic trait, body coat colour, genetic resource.
E-mail: [email protected]
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Last updated: 12 August 2017