I get to meet some lovely people and Jenny Mitchell is one such person. I met her through Kate Selley in our veterinary hospital who said "I know you two are just going to get on so well"! So what's the connection between donkeys and seatbelts?
Kenya
We have been working in Kenya since 1994 in partnership with the Kenya Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (KSPCA) and the current population of donkeys is in the region of 600,000.
Kenya is an agricultural country, which depends mostly on farming and keeping livestock. Donkeys provide a lifeline to families, carrying anything from building materials and firewood to maize, potatoes and water.
The donkey and cart remains one of the few transportation systems that can cope with the terrain in Kenya as roads have deteriorated in recent years.
Most donkeys pull carts in Kenya and pointless injuries are caused when donkeys are forced to pull the cart by the neck rather than the chest. Our teams not only treat and de-worm the donkey, but carry out repair work to the carts and harnessing and provide advice to the owners to help prevent problems in the future.
Our teams also deal with emergency call outs and spend a great deal of time maintaining an educational programme on donkey care for children.
We have a stationary clinic at the KSPCA's base in Nairobi specifically for the treatment of donkeys. From here, training days are held on harnessing, farriery and donkey care.
Two mobile clinics and an educational/emergency vehicle travel extensively through the country and make regular visits to Garissa, Isiolo, Nakuru, Eldorat and Kisumu.
In Kenya we also work closely with the University of Nairobi's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.
"My donkey keeps us alive"
By Chris Garrett - Posted 27/07/09
Tagged: Kenya
I usually keep my ramblings pretty general, but this time I'd like to tell you about a lady I met last week. I'm in Kenya at the moment, looking at the progress made with the harness since I was here in December last year.
Sidmouth College students visit new exhibition
By Claire Shapcott - Posted 10/07/09
Tagged: Kenya
• News release
On Monday 13th July from 1.30pm, ten pupils from Sidmouth College will be given their first chance to see their mural painting of Kenya at The Donkey Sanctuary's Box 16 exhibition.
The Kenya adventure
By Bill Tetlow - Posted 01/06/09
Tagged: Kenya
When I retired from my job as a Regional Welfare Officer for The Donkey Sanctuary I was fortunate enough to be invited to become a Trustee for the charity. This new role was to lead to a most exciting trip to Kenya with the CEO David Cook to look at the work the charity does there.
Celebrating 21 years of work in Lamu
By Dawn Vincent - Posted 03/07/08
On Friday 4th July, the UK-based Donkey Sanctuary will be holding a special 21st anniversary celebration at its centre on Lamu Island, Kenya, where donkeys are more popular than cars.
