Like angels for equines

Sona is one of Pakistan’s 4.7 million working animals, each of which is a primary source of earning for some.

If it wasn’t for a horse called Sona, 30-year old Azam Khan’s family would starve.

Every day, Khan and his equine companion trudge from construction site to construction site, hauling loads of sand and brick. On good days, this fetches Khan about Rs.400-500 — enough to feed his family of eight. The horse is more than a pet or a companion, he is a lifeline. You may even say that to Khan and his dependants, Sona is worth his weight in gold.



So one day, when this horse developed a limp and could no longer work, it was nothing short of a catastrophe. Forced to carry only as much of a load as his shoulders could bear, Khan’s earnings plummeted to just Rs.50 a day. Slowly but surely, the spectre of starvation began to haunt his family. It became clear that without Sona, the very survival of his family was in doubt. Seeing his plight, a friend suggested to Khan that he take the ailing horse to The Brooke Pakistan, a non-profit hospital that works at treating the animals of underprivileged communities. Hoping against hope, he took the limping horse to the hospital. Thanks to the timely care he received, and without any cost to his owner, Sona was back to his usual self in just a few days and Khan’s family members once again had food on their plates.



Sona is one of Pakistan’s 4.7 million working animals. Each of these animals is a primary source of earning for an average of six people. Yet, often this unsung “workforce” of Pakistan does not get the medical care it deserves. The Brooke is helping fill this void.



Affiliated with The Brooke Hospital for Animals in UK, which works across 10 countries in Asia, Africa, Central America and the Middle East, The Brooke Pakistan started operating from a single mobile clinic in Peshawar in 1991. Today, according to the regional manager of the Shahdara clinic, Dr Muhammad Arshad Ansari, The Brooke operates in all four provinces, providing veterinary and welfare services to working equines in 26 districts across the country.



The Brooke Pakistan caters to equines (donkeys, horses and mules) belonging to owners who either cannot afford to get their animals treated or are not willing to seek treatment for their animals. It provides emergency veterinary treatments for the animals and training in animal care and husbandry for their owners who depend on these equines for their livelihoods.

“We work extensively with communities and partner organisations in Pakistan to develop and deliver solutions that can be sustained by the animal owners themselves. Our local expertise and knowledge is further enhanced through partnerships with animal welfare and development organisations in other parts of the world,” said Dr Ansari, a veterinarian and retired lt colonel of the Pakistan Army.



The field clinic is a hospital-cum-training centre. Once you enter the main gate, you see a row of offices on the right side. Then there is a large elongated ground with small stable-like enclosures where under-treatment animals are kept. The horses, donkeys and mules are allowed to play in the ground every day, providing them healthy habitat and daily exercise.

According to Dr Ansari, out of the approximately 4.7 million working equines in Pakistan, more than 50 per cent are in Punjab. Donkeys form the bulk of Pakistan’s working animals, comprising about 80% of the total, and are considered a vulnerable group as they labour under very difficult conditions. “We have three ways to reach these animals,” says Dr. Ansari. “We have our field clinics, wayside clinics and community mobile veterinary clinics (CMVCs). At our static clinics, owners bring in their animals and we admit them if needed. At our wayside clinics we provide treatment and our mobile teams go to communities in different districts to provide medical treatment to animals there.”

The 31 mobile teams don’t just provide veterinary care, but also try to involve local communities. “We launch different projects with the participation of the local communities. For example, if we build a water-pond for animals in a certain area, we ask the local people to take care of it. This creates a sense of ownership among the locals. And of course we tell the animal owners what the common diseases are and how to prevent them. We tell them what to do to keep their animals healthy,” says Dr Ansari.



In addition to helping provide health care for animals, they also work with everyone from local vets and traditional healers to feed sellers and cart makers. The role of these primary caretakers of animals is an important one and if they don’t work properly, animals get wounded and become unfit to work. Realising this, The Brooke invites them to field clinics for training — even compensating them financially so they don’t have to worry about lost earnings.

Along with training caregivers, The Brooke also aims to ensure that future generations understand the importance of caring for animals. “We recognise that children and young people are the animal owners of tomorrow, so we ensure they are included in education programs to promote good equine welfare practices. We reach out to children, young people and adults through our ‘edutainment’ programs which feature school visits and puppet shows, role play, animal competitions and grooming competitions,” Dr Ansari adds.

And then there are cases where the animals are beyond treatment. Here The Brooke steps in to provide its Calm Death Compensation for those animals that don’t have any hope to recover. “This practice is recognized across the world,” says Dr Ansari. Mostly animal owners shoot their animals when there is no hope for them to recover and to discourage this, we encourage them to bring their animals to us and get compensation. We pay from Rs1500 to Rs3000 to those owners who bring their animals to us for calm death. This however is done only at our field clinics,” Dr Ansari maintained.



In all, The Brooke Pakistan reaches about 250,000 horses, donkeys and mules every year and since starting its work in Pakistan, has reached 5.4million equines. According to another Brooke official, “this means we help to protect the livelihoods of more than 1.5million people in some of Pakistan’s poorest communities.” No doubt, both Azam Khan and Sona would agree.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 30^th, 2012.

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