This weekend, two members of staff from the Sidmouth-based Donkey Sanctuary will be in Beijing, China, for the first conference ever to be held there on the subject of donkey health and welfare.
Stephen Blakeway, the Sanctuary's newly appointed Director of International Operations and Joe Anzuino, Head of Veterinary Services (Overseas), will be amongst the key speakers which also include the famous equine specialist Professor Derek Knottenbelt and eminent local Chinese speakers.
The charity is hosting the event on the 8th/9th November, which will be attended by over 90 veterinary professionals and animal health workers from China. The aim is to share ideas on donkey health and welfare issues and discuss ways to improve conditions for donkeys in the country, which are traditionally kept in China for traction, ploughing and other agricultural work.
Joe Anzuino says: "We feel now is the right time to encourage the people of China to be more aware of donkeys. International animal welfare organisations are increasing their presence in China. However, donkeys are one of those animals that seem to have slipped through the net of initiatives looking at humane transport and slaughter, or farm welfare. The Donkey Sanctuary is therefore a vital advocate for the donkey in China, presenting technical cooperation which puts welfare on the agenda."
The two day conference includes the following topics:
Day One
- Donkey Welfare
- Donkey Management
- Medicine for Donkeys
- Skin Diseases of Donkeys
Day Two
- Donkey Diseases and Treatment
- Donkey Parasites
- The Status of the Chinese Donkey
Delegates will be given a special Donkey Sanctuary conference pack including translated papers on skin problems, nutrition and anaesthesia, a copy of the Professional Handbook of the Donkey and a stethoscope and thermometer - all for future use and reference.
The Donkey Sanctuary was first invited to China to take a look at donkeys and mules throughout the country in 2006. Two further visits have followed, and in June 2008, the charity's in-country representative Qin Yinghe from the China Agricultural University came to The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth. This visit underlined the growing commitment of The Donkey Sanctuary to the donkeys of China.
I had not before realised that there were donkeys in China, and at the mention of it my heart sank like a stone. The Chinese are nothing short of savage towards animals, from intensively breeding pandas - the females are on a conveyor belt system of being mated, with their young removed prematurely - to skinning cats and dogs alive for the fur industry (exported as rabbit or coney pelts).
Knowing what I do about this barbaric nation I very much doubt whether any welfare measures would be implemented; it sounds more like the sort of whitewash they have indulged in on other animal issues which have lead to nothing.
I would love to believe that any donated money used in this country is making a difference, and I would not want to deny the donkeys help, but I know people working in the country and it is a pit of despair.
I fully understand the sentiments expressed in your message. Terrible things do happen to animals in parts of China, as in many countries. However, as with any group of one billion people, there are many who look after their animals very well. Good harness originated in ancient China then spread around the world. It is not well known that modern China has an emerging animal rights movement. In general the donkeys we have seen in China have been surprisingly well looked after. This is partly because they have a meat value at the end of their working lives so there is less reason to 'work them to death'. However we are not seeing cruel work practices either. China has the largest donkey population in the world. We will never spend a lot of money there. However we want to be part of the emerging animal welfare debate, and to promote donkey welfare there. In the workshops and meetings we have had so far, we have been encouraged by the interest taken by Chinese vets - local vets are giving up their time unpaid to attend our training workshops. We will concentrate our resources on training, and on small interventions targeted at specific donkey welfare problems that emerge. Thank you for taking an interest in our work. Please rest assured we intend to use all the money that is donated to us as effectively as possible in improving donkey welfare around the world.