Case Studies
The Brooke – Felfel and Bolbol, Egypt
The Brooke is dedicated to improving the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules. It works in 11 countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, delivering direct veterinary treatment and community programmes which focus on animal health and well-being.
Egypt’s sugar cane harvest is a major source of income to thousands of Egyptian families. Poor farmers use their animals to carry heavy loads of sugar cane from the fields to sell it at the market, so it’s important they take care of their animals as well as their crops.
During the harvest, working horses and donkeys pull heavy overloaded carts of sugar cane and many of them suffer injuries as a result:
- Ill-fitting harnesses can cause back and shoulder wounds
- Prolonged walking can cause tendon inflammations and hoof abscesses
- In some cases animals collapse under the weight of the load and can be cut by the sharp ends of the sugar cane
Adel is a young donkey owner who has recently begun working the sugar cane harvest to support his family of seven. His mother, father, wife and three sisters all live in one small house in a village near Luxor.
Adel starts his day the night before by feeding his two donkeys, Felfel and Bolbol a special concentrated food mix to prepare them for the hard labour that follows.
At 5am Adel heads to the sugar cane field and begins loading the harvested sugar canes to his cart. He then transports the produce to the railway station for the sugar cane carrier battling heavy traffic and busy roads as well as steep uphill climbs and downhill slopes on the way.
Adel is forced to repeat this journey as many times as possible before his final load at 1pm as the harvest is his main source of income for his family. On his final journey back he will stop off at the Brooke clinic in Luxor so Felfel and Bolbol can be groomed and showered – the Brooke vets also examine the donkeys to ensure they are fit for work.
How the Brooke helps
Brooke teams work with farmers to help ensure their horses and donkeys can continue to work hard to support their families. The Brooke vets try to reach the owners before the harvest season begins to offer valuable advice on issues such as hoof care, harness fitting and ideal load weights. They also want to ensure farmers feed their animals properly with balanced and good quality food which will prepare them for the harvest season. With the best animal management methods, their families benefit and the horses and donkeys can be healthier and happier for the long-term.
Further information
The Brooke homepage: www.thebrooke.org