5 Sept 2024
Three new facilities are set to be built in rural areas of the African country to make access to care easier.
Allister Webb
Job Title
A Brooke-trained government vet carries out a welfare assessment on a horse.
A prominent equine charity has unveiled plans to build three new veterinary clinics, which it claims will provide care for around 60,000 animals a year, in Ethiopia.
The Brooke project is focused on rural areas of the East African state where officials say there is a particularly “urgent need” for accessible treatment options.
Ethiopia is estimated to have one of the largest working donkey populations in the world at around 8.8 million animals.
Brooke head of animal welfare Laura Skippen said: “Supporting the construction of these clinics will not only help thousands of animals receive better care right now, but importantly ensure that future generations of hardworking animals benefit too.”
The new clinics, which are being built in the Akaki, Halaba and Shashamane areas, mark the latest phase of the charity’s long-term effort to improve animal health infrastructure in Ethiopia, where many small-scale farmers rely on working horses, donkeys and mules.
The clinics, which Brooke said will be built within the next year, will provide an operating room, pharmacy and laboratory, as well as a shaded area for animals to rest in.
Construction of the Shashamane clinic is being funded by the QATO Foundation, which promotes the welfare of animals living under human care.
