KARACHI, Oct 4: “We used to slit nostrils of our donkeys for we believed that normal nostrils caused obstruction in breathing in hot summer days when animals suffered severe panting. Slit nostrils, we were told, also increased animal’s work capacity,” recalled Mukkaram Khan in front of a small audience gathered to celebrate World Animal Day on Friday at the Richmond Crawford Veterinary Hospital on M. A. Jinnah Road.

The event was organised by Brooke Hospital for Animals (South region) Karachi in collaboration with the provincial livestock department.

Mama Anwar, another donkey owner, narrated how he and people like him maltreated domestic animals as they simply didn’t have the awareness that their actions could hurt the poor creatures.

“Our animals used to die in misery but we had no idea how to help them. I used to give water to my donkeys only once the whole day because that was how we were trained by our elders,” he recounted, adding that times had changed now and his animals were now happy since he and people of his community got educated on animal care.

Awareness programmes, he said, had helped them know that animals should be provided with water at least six to seven times a day, at times, after mixing it with salt or glucose in hot weather conditions. Provision of proper shade and taking care of their hygiene also kept animals relaxed, happy and consequently, they worked better, he added.

Highlighting the day’s importance, senior programme manager of The Brooke South Dr Sher Nawaz said that since animals served humans in so many ways, it was humans obligation to take care of their basic needs and help them when they got injured or in suffering. The day, he said, had been celebrated across the world on October 4 since 1931.

“We must acknowledge the services being provided by animals silently for generations. They are supporting hundreds and thousands of poor families, besides helping us in transportation. They also meet our food and clothing requirements,” he said.

The Brooke Hospital for Animals (a UK-based international charity for equines), he explained, had been working in Pakistan since 1991. It started off its services for health and welfare of equines with a single mobile clinic in Peshawar, but now it had expanded its network to cover areas of extreme need in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh.

“We are delivering veterinary and welfare services to working equines through a network of mobile teams and clinics in 26 districts of Pakistan. In Sindh, we initiated our work after striking a partnership with the provincial livestock department in 2008. Right now, we are operating in Karachi, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Shikarpur and Larkana,” he said.

The organisation, he said, started work in Karachi in 2008 following an epidemic of surra (a fatal disease in animals unless treated) and so far had trained over 80-plus government and private vets and health workers. The areas focused in Karachi were Lyari, Bihar Colony, Landhi, Shershah, Saddar, Korangi, Orangi, Machar colony and Malir.

The deputy director of the livestock department of Sindh, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, the chief guest, appreciated the government collaboration with the NGO and said that though the five-year project had completed its term, it must continue.

“Animals serve us with their bodies and skin. It is not a big deal if we handle them with care,” he said while informing the audience that the government had decided to allocate five per cent budget of the livestock department for the welfare of mules, donkeys and horses.

In-charge of the Richmond Crawford Veterinary Hospital Dr Jaidev Rajput also spoke. The programme concluded with a walk.