Field assessment and association of the management factors affecting Egyptian working donkeys in brick kilns factories

Aboutaleb, H. A.; Lashein, M. E.; Ashour, A. M.; Tony, M. A.

doi:10.21608/ajar.2022.277851

Field assessment and association of the management factors affecting Egyptian working donkeys in brick kilns factories

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt

² Department of Nutrition and Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

10.21608/ajar.2022.277851

Abstract

Egyptian donkeys are corner stone element of labors in brick kilns factories. The study aims to assess all field variables related to working conditions of working donkeys including the health risk factors, welfare regulations and applying welfare strategies to improve the quality of life of donkeys in brick kilns as well as within communities. The study variables were collected from 84 donkeys extended to include representative random samples of 11 brick kilns. The body condition score ranged from 1 to 4 (1.66±0.365). 67 ± 0.33 (n = 80) of kiln donkeys have wounds, and the most serious wound is a beating wound (37 ± 3.7). Other wounds are related to the harness, such as the breeching (8 ± 1.97), saddle (36 ± 2.17) and neck collar (41 ± 2.00). A poor body condition was seen in almost 35 % of kiln donkeys. The study emphasized the variations in the level of welfare associated with the donkeys in each kiln, along with differences found in the management practices. This with no doubt helped in better understanding of why some kilns have better working environments than others. Future studies could possibly measure the attitudes of donkey handlers in relation to overall donkey welfare. Based on the findings of the current study, we can probably design an effective educational program for the El‐Saf brick kilns, which can be applied to all Egyptian Brick kilns.

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