Kenya

Thousands of working donkeys across Africa are to benefit from a recent workshop held in Nairobi, Kenya, by The Donkey Sanctuary.

Photographer Crispin Hughes recently travelled out to Kenya to see firsthand how The Donkey Sanctuary helps working donkeys in and around Nairobi. His blog tells the story of one of the donkeys that the team helped during Crispin’s visit:

Most of the time, our team in Kenya help donkeys and their owners through direct interventions such as veterinary treatments, harness training, and advice on feeding and stabling. But sometimes something a bit less obvious can also make a difference to donkey welfare.

A nine year old donkey in Kenya is slowly recovering from a horrific branding injury with the help of The Donkey Sanctuary.

The donkey, who is currently hospitalised at The Donkey Sanctuary’s Nairobi clinic, suffered appalling burns to his rump when his owner’s attempt at branding to prevent theft went horribly wrong.

People often ask me what I actually do, which is a bit of a hard question as the job is very varied, but one of my favourite places is in the field, with the team. Nowhere is this more true than in Kenya, where we can go on Safari for up to two weeks. Nice word ‘Safari’, conjures up thoughts of lodges, stunning views and magnificent wildlife, but the truth is a little more down to earth.

Bananas are the favourite fruit for UK households – in fact, they’re the most popular fruit in the whole world. In Kenya, the leaves of the banana plant are now being used to improve donkey welfare, international charity The Donkey Sanctuary has seen this month.