Cultural “Blind Spots,” Social Influence and the Welfare of Working Donkeys in Brick Kilns in Northern India

Abstract

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) work across the globe to improve the welfare of working equids. Despite decades of veterinary and other interventions, welfare issues persist with equids working in brick kilns. Engagement with all stakeholders is integral to creating abiding improvements to working equid welfare as interventions based purely on reactive measures fail to provide sustainable solutions. Equid owners, particularly those in low to middle-income countries (LMICs), may have issues such as opportunity, capacity, gender or socioeconomic status, overriding their ability to care well for their own equids. These "blind spots" are frequently overlooked when organizations develop intervention programs to improve welfare. This study aims to highlight the lives of the poorest members of Indian society, and will focus on working donkeys specifically as they were the only species of working equids present in the kilns visited. We discuss culture, status, religion, and social influences, including insights into the complexities of cultural "blind spots" which complicate efforts by NGOs to improve working donkey welfare when the influence of different cultural and societal pressures are not recognized or acknowledged. Employing a mixed-methods approach, we used the Equid Assessment Research and Scoping (EARS) tool, a questionnaire based equid welfare assessment tool, to assess the welfare of working donkeys in brick kilns in Northern India. In addition, using livelihoods surveys and semi-structured interviews, we established owner demographics, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion and their personal accounts of their working lives and relationships to their donkeys. During transcript analysis six themes emerged: caste, ethnicity, inherited knowledge; social status, and impacts of ethnic group and caste; social status and gender; migration and shared suffering; shared suffering, compassion; religious belief, species hierarchy. The lives led by these, marginalized communities of low status are driven by poverty, exposing them to exploitation, lack of community cohesion, and community conflicts through migratory, transient employment. This vulnerability influences the care and welfare of their working donkeys, laying bare the inextricable link between human and animal welfare. Cultural and social perspectives, though sometimes overlooked, are crucial to programs to improve welfare, where community engagement and participation are integral to their success.

A New Framework for Assessing Equid Welfare: A Case Study of Working Equids in Nepalese Brick Kilns

“…Such anthropogenic pressures on equids can have detrimental effects on their welfare [ 5 , 11 , 16 ]. Limb tethering or hobbling are often used in LMICs to restrict the mobility of equids and is likely to be the cause of the scarring observed on many equids [ 3 , 26 ]. Common reasons can be the repeated use of inappropriate coarse materials combined with accumulation of substrate matter which abrades the skin [ 24 ].…”

“…Working equids support humans in many ways, including carting goods and people [ 1 ], carrying packs to transport bricks and construction materials [ 2 , 3 ], for draught power in agriculture [ 4 , 5 ], carrying water, in rubbish collection [ 6 ], and for ceremonial use [ 4 , 7 , 8 ]. A wide spectrum of welfare issues can be encountered throughout the world depending on differences in environment [ 9 ], levels of urbanisation [ 10 ], and the type of work equids conduct [ 3 , 5 , 11 , 12 ].…”

“…Working equids support humans in many ways, including carting goods and people [ 1 ], carrying packs to transport bricks and construction materials [ 2 , 3 ], for draught power in agriculture [ 4 , 5 ], carrying water, in rubbish collection [ 6 ], and for ceremonial use [ 4 , 7 , 8 ]. A wide spectrum of welfare issues can be encountered throughout the world depending on differences in environment [ 9 ], levels of urbanisation [ 10 ], and the type of work equids conduct [ 3 , 5 , 11 , 12 ]. Associated welfare concerns are equally varied, with equids reported to experience poor body condition [ 12 ] and abnormal hoof shape in agricultural settings in Guatemala [ 13 ], malnutrition and harness-related wounds in the markets of Ethiopia [ 14 ] and high levels of respiratory disease and cases of tethering in draft and pack animals in Pakistan [ 15 ] and Egypt [ 16 ].…”

“…Brick kilns have been found to be particularly difficult environments in which to maintain a high level of equid welfare [ 3 , 12 , 16 ], with equids experiencing poor nutrition [ 12 , 25 ], inadequate veterinary care, wounds and musculoskeletal problems from ill-fitting equipment used to pull heavy loads, which is exacerbated by generally hot and dusty working conditions [ 16 , 26 , 27 ]. Here, we use responses to EARS questions in conjunction with aggregated welfare grades from the WAG tool to outline the welfare conditions of equids in the brick kilns of Nepal.…”

No Prescription, No Problem! A Mixed-Methods Study of Antimicrobial Stewardship Relating to Working Equines in Drug Retail Outlets of Northern India

“…As one of the largest consumers of antibiotics in the world [3], and home to a high population of mules and donkeys, two species largely ignored within this research agenda, India provides a suitable area of study to examine vendor capacities and practices. The significant number of brick kilns and construction sites known to use working equines in the region led to the selection of northern India for the study [30]. In addition, the presence of a local partner (Donkey Sanctuary India (DSI)) allowed for the provision of logistical support where required as well as assistance in identifying appropriate study locations using key informants.…”