A Longitudinal Survey of Market Donkeys in Ethiopia

Tropical Animal Health and Production, (2005) 87^100

# 2005 Springer. Printed in the Netherlands37(Suppl. 1)A Longitudinal Survey of Market Donkeys in EthiopiaA. Tesfaye1 and M. Martin Curran2*

Holetta Research Center, PO Box 2003, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;Singapore*Correspondence: E-mail: [email protected], A. and Martin Curran, M., 2005. A longitudinal survey of market donkeys in Ethiopia. Tropical

Animal Health and Production, 37(Suppl. 1), 87^100ABSTRACTThis survey was conducted at three sites in Ethiopia. The purpose of the survey was to provide detailed

information on donkey use in rural and peri-urban areas. The study revealed that donkeys are indeed of

immense value to farmers and merchants, being used almost daily for income-generating activities.

Unfortunately, they are rarely given any veterinary attention, they receive no feed supplements and their

owners are often unaware of improved saddling techniques that would reduce the back sores their

animals suer from. An extension programme providing donkey owners with information on saddling,

feeding and basic health care would improve the animals' productivity and improve the livelihoods of

the owners.Keywords: donkey, Ethiopia, surveyINTRODUCTIONThe high donkey population in Ethiopia is a good indicator of the economic

importance of this equine species. However, there are still thousands of households

that do not own or have access to a donkey for economic reasons. It is possible that

donkeys make a greater contribution to livelihoods than do oxen during periods of

food insecurity. Traditional attitudes towards donkeys in many parts of the world have

been negative and have, in some instances, inhibited the adoption of donkey power.

Donkeys generally have a low social status probably arising from their low productivity

as a single-purpose animal compared to cattle that can provide milk, power and meat

as well as having a function of providing a social and nancial security. However, it is

clear that donkeys provide very important forms of assistance to impoverished

families, pastoralists, agropastoralists, sedentary farmers and urban dwellers and are

particularly useful for women who have responsibility for collecting water or rewood

(Catley and Blakeway, 1997).Throughout the world, donkeys are used as pack animals. As long as the load is

correctly placed on the back of the animal and a proper loading system is used, a

donkey can easily carry between 27% and 40% of its body weight (Hanekom, undated).Donkeys play...