As the new Overseas Communications Officer here at The Donkey Sanctuary, I have the job of keeping in touch with our project teams in the countries outside Europe - Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, India and Mexico - and passing on news about their latest activities.
Dr Ramesh Kumar is the project leader of our base in Ahmedabad, India, and also a veterinary surgeon. He told me about his visit to an unusual event in early November. It's an annual donkey fair where the donkeys are painted in attractive colours and patterns - but unfortunately, the way some of them are treated isn't so pretty.
Vautha fair is a five-day donkey buying and selling extravaganza, with fairground rides and food stalls. It's held each year on the day of the first full moon after the Diwali festival of light and attracts thousands of traders, as well as hordes of visitors and tourists. This year around 7,000 donkeys were brought along for sale to the site, 60km from Ahmedabad. Dr Ramesh and his team held a two-day camp at the fair, providing veterinary treatment and spreading awareness about the health and welfare of working donkeys. They were also interviewed for local and national TV channels, which turned up to film the colourful event.
Dr Ramesh told me that he felt that Vautha fair is a good event to spread awareness on donkey welfare because it's the only fair in India that is fully dedicated to donkeys. People from different states apart from Gujarat visit Vautha, making it a very good platform to spread welfare messages.
Dr Ramesh and his team also took the chance to meet up with the organisers of the fair to raise some concerns about the site and facilities. They're worried that there aren't enough water troughs for all the thousands of donkeys there, that there's no green fodder available for them, and that the area where the donkeys are kept isn't cleaned properly. Some donkeys are being injured during loading and unloading because of the lack of ramps, and Dr Ramesh's team have offered to provide these next year. They're also very concerned that many owners are abandoning foals and sick donkeys when they leave the fair - they will be campaigning to prevent this.
Dr Ramesh also found dead donkeys lying near the site and talked to the authorities, where he received a positive response. He will also be following this up to try and set up a proper facility for the disposal of dead animals
Next year he and his team will also be stepping up their efforts to encourage donkey owners to treat their animals better, by holding discussions and educational activities in the evenings after trading is over.
I started reading the article on the Vautha donkey fair with trepidation, learning long ago, that India is not the "childhood haven" for animals that I used to believe, growing up reading "The Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling. I have to admit Shere Khan was my favorite character! Though I ended feeling hope for these beautiful donkeys, because of the Sanctuary's tireless mission, I could not help but look at them all with pity, looking like sad clowns. It was ironic! These animals devoted to humans throughout history, no less filled with promise than any living thing. When will humans learn from animals that the only significant measure of your life is the positive effect you have on others. Every smallest act of kindness, every word of hope or compliment that brings a smile, has the potential to change the recipient's life. Donkeys treated with dignity give us by example joy and innocence, changing lives gently and greatly for the better. They are a wonder of life, and the wonder of life is what makes it so worth living.
Thank you Phillippa Davies and Dr. Ramesh Kumar, what wonder you are as humans!
Jenny B.