KARACHI: A consultative workshop on the role of working equines in supporting livelihoods and addressing emerging threats to donkeys, horses and mules was organised by Brooke Pakistan, an animal welfare organisation, at a local hotel on Tuesday.

Besides recognising the role of working equines in sustaining livelihoods of poor and marginalised communities, the workshop also aimed to raise awareness of the ongoing welfare challenges and the emerging threat of the donkey skin trade in Pakistan.

Activist Yusra Askari said that while thinking about animals as pets, people should also think about animals in other roles too and support them.

Speaking about working livestock, Advocacy Manager at Brooke Pakistan, Naeem Abbas, spoke about working equines such as donkeys. “The donkey trade is a global issue,” he said, adding that there are 55.5 million donkeys in the world of which two-thirds used to be in Africa. “Pakistan, meanwhile, has the largest population of donkeys in Asia, which is 4.9 million. “There are some 600 million families in the world taking livelihood support from donkeys. But six million donkeys are also killed annually all over the world,” he pointed out.

Activists highlight role of working equines in supporting livelihoods of the poor

It is “rumoured” widely in Pakistan that donkeys have become part of our food chain, that restaurants are cooking donkey meat instead of beef or mutton. “But that donkey meat you hear of is actually a by-product as donkeys are actually being slaughtered for their skin,” he pointed out.

It was explained that donkey skin is needed for Ejiao production, which is a kind of gelatine used in various eatables. This is a global threat to the donkey population.

Mr Abbas said that the donkey population in Africa has already gone down drastically due to this reason alone, and now the buyers, of which China is a leader, are turning their attention to the donkey population in Pakistan.

“For this purpose, there is also a donkey slaughterhouse working in Gwadar for the last four years,” he informed.

“Sadly, while this is going on, people see donkeys as an unimportant issue. Meanwhile, the donkey trade involves cruelty, as many donkeys’ legs are broken during transportation while being heaped into containers, among other harsh conditions, etc,” he said.

Animal welfare activist and filmmaker Mahera Omar said that while living in a big city such as Karachi, people overlook the fact that the city is not just for humans but animals as well. “Working animals are beasts of burden who work with us and help earn for many families here. But we work them to death,” she said.

She also said that animals such as cows, buffaloes and goats are also bred for their meat or for their milk though these days we are not sure where our meat is actually coming from. She also lamented how humans are taking nature for granted, how they are destroying the lungs of Karachi, which is what the mangroves actually are, how the dune buggies on our beaches are crushing the little crabs and other tiny creatures living under the sand or around the roots of the mangroves. She also pointed out how we are destroying our sea and our coastline by dumping solid waste such as plastic, bottles, Styrofoam, medical waste, footwear, etc.

Mahera also remembered Ardeshir Cowasjee and Lady Constantine and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) which advocated compassion for all animals. “SPCA used to be quite active in Pakistan. We need to revive it. We need to make our city more livable for everyone again. Preventing violence and cruelty to animals should be made a part of our curriculum,” she said.

Rehmat Bibi and Salam Deen, two donkey owners in Sindh, who have eight to nine donkeys working at their brick kiln in Hyderabad, shared their experience of caring for their donkeys. “Earlier, we didn’t realise that leaving our donkeys too long under the sun is very harmful to them. We lost several donkeys that way,” said Salam Deen. “Then we were made aware by activists working with Brooke Pakistan about how to look after our beasts of burden. And we are now spreading awareness about their upkeep among our community,” he added.

Rehmat Bibi said that earlier they could buy a donkey for Rs20,000 to Rs40,000 but now their prices have gone up considerably as the donkey population has decreased. “Donkeys don’t breed as fast as other livestock such as cows, goats or camels. Now if we buy a donkey it costs us one and a half lacs or even more,” she pointed out.

Communication Lead at Brooke Pakistan, Ahmed Omer, and Dr Sher Nawaz from Chitral also spoke.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2025