Action Research With and For Pack Mules

Abstract

The welfare of equines working as pack animals on treks and expeditions within the international mountain tourism industry is often severely compromised. Awareness of these issues and of what prevents owners, trekking teams and the wider industry knowing and attending to the equine and to equine welfare has been advanced through a sustained research and development initiative and Action Research project focusing on the international mountain tourism industry in the Moroccan High Atlas. An approach based on Theory U and on the development of co-seeing, co-sensing, and co-creating journeys has allowed deeper levels of awareness to be accessed and developed. Shifting the quality of attention, of meeting, and of dialogue has allowed eco-system awareness to develop, where previously silo-thinking and ego-system awareness had prevailed. This has allowed muleteering practice to evolve away from practices based on control and domination towards practices informed by the dialogical encounter. This paper will explore the role of Action Research in developing the awareness of the tourism industry and the communities of practice it supports. Absencing as a barrier to awareness and the approaches available to overcome it will be explored. A key distinction will be made between the outcomes emerging from the co-creative projects arising from genuine meeting and dialogue, and the outcomes arising from the failure to meet and dialogue genuinely, a failure rooted in the exploitation embedded in hierarchical relationships.

The history and welfare of working mules in the valleys of the Toubkal massif, in the High Atlas of Morocco

“…The significance of the low weight and size of the mules may reflect a preference locally for smaller mules when working in steep terrain. This data is also helpful as a guide for establishing weight limits where responsible tour operators develop mule welfare charters ( 13 ). Body condition score was generally low in both villages ( Figure 7 ) which may reflect the lack of grazing, access to food and workload as well as other causal factors including poor dentition.…”

“…With the advent of mountain tourism, the mule population in Aremd has grown substantially and now most families have a mule who is utilised to generate income wherever opportunities arise to do so. These developments have not been accompanied by improvements in mule care and awareness of both mulemanship and the complex network of actors contributing to mule welfare issues is limited ( 10 , 11 , 13 , 79 ).…”

“…We also need to recognise that the transmission of knowledge is both vertical between members of different generations, stereotypically between parents and their offspring but also horizontal between the members of the same generation ( 17 , p. 58). This further requires us to recognise the complexity of such phenomena and adopt a collaborative and participatory approach ( 13 , 14 , 81 ) that moves beyond knowledge transfer ( 82 ) and into awareness-based systems change, recognising the need to address attitudes, mind sets, beliefs and mental models through cycles of facilitated reflection and action ( 10 , 13 , 31 , 80 , 81 ) as well as the more obvious practicalities that traditional veterinary health care interventions focus on. In the case of the system within and from which mule welfare arises, there needs to be recognition of the shared responsibilities of the stakeholders who, as a network, co-create mule welfare.…”

“…The mining and mountain tourism industries have a long history of hiding human and animal welfare abuses underground and in other ways ( 6 , 83–87 ). These include the abuses that lie hidden in the mouths ( 10 ) and under the pack saddles ( 13 ) of working equines as well as the abuses these animals are subject to when they are sold on to work in the cities. These issues are challenging, especially given the limited resources available to transform the system (see Figure 13 ).…”

“…Tourists are also increasingly reporting their concerns ( 90 ) in ways that demonstrate the importance of working equid welfare in tourism ( 7 ). Trekking agencies are able to write welfare specifications into their contracts with local agencies ( 13 ) and can develop and subscribe to industry codes of practice ( 96 ). Local authorities can introduce local regulations and NGOs such as SPANA can undertake technical inspections through their monthly visits to the area ( 91 ) and contribute to training initiatives, especially of local farriers, saddle makers and other artisans.…”