AKI donors support Bam Animal Clinics' donkey welfare work in eastern Uganda, where Bam works to improve the welfare of working donkeys through training of donkey owners about how to make and use humane saddles from sisal sacks and humane handling, care, treatment, and feeding.
Take a look at this photograph from Sebei region, one of the areas where Bam works, and you'll see why donkeys are so necessary and common in eastern Uganda:
Humane sisal saddles are a great way to keep donkeys free from injuries. They are easy to make and use, are made from readily available materials, they are durable, and they help prevent injuries, especially on those all important areas, behind the donkey's tail and back. They provide good cushioning against abrasions and other wounds when donkeys are carrying loads of wood, produce, and water.
Here are some pictures from Bam's sisal saddle trainings in April, funded by AKI donors:
For the April clinics, Bam had an overwhelming turnout, as you can see from these pictures in Kitawoi sub-county in Kween District. Every donkey owner receives the full animal welfare package: sisal saddle training and a sisal saddle, and diagnosis and treatment of their donkeys-all for free.
Bam vets deal with injuries from overloading, use of poorly made saddles that don't offer basic protection, injuries from long working hours without rest, poor nutrition, and overall poor health, especially due to high loads of internal and external parasites. Wounds from donkey fights are also common, and Bam vets too often see cases of cruelty-usually by the owner.
Bam's contacts in the local villages watch out for cruelty, injuries, and general inhumane treatment.
Bam Animal Clinics:
Ensures that donkey using communities understand the importance of providing good care of their donkeys, including good nutrition, water, shelter, rest, and preventative care.
Advises people of work limits and maximum load a donkey can carry.
Instructs on how to construct simple shelters for their donkeys.
Emphasizes construction of fences to keep donkeys safe at night and community policing to minimize theft of donkeys.
Promotes the use of humane saddles.
Provides free vet care at their community clinics to diagnose and treat animals free of charge.
Encourages communities that rely on donkeys to place greater value on their donkeys.
When I was in Uganda in April, David Balondemu (Founder/Director of Bam) and I met to discuss Bam's work and AKI's support for Bam (photo below, we met at the Uganda SPCA shelter in Kampala, about 3 hours from Bam's office in Iganga).
Here's how Bam Animal Clinics spent AKI donations during the 1st half of 2022:
