13 June 2001
Thousands of donkeys in Tunisia, Jordan and Syria are being helped with a batch of nosebands made by members of SPANA, the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad.
The charity put an appeal in its newsletter for soft, furry nosebands to give to donkeys suffering with tightly fitting ones which often cut into their noses and eat into the bones.
“We were inundated with nosebands – it took us a long time to sort themand send them out,” says Brigitte Clark from SPANA.
“Often in these countries, the donkeys are fitted with sharp, badly fitting nosebands made from chains, metal or sharp, old rope.
They have to pull heavy loads and frequently the ownersforget to remove the nosebands.
“These new ones do make a difference and our extensive education programme is starting to bear fruit. “
SPANA inspects harnesses as part of the working animal health check, which includes worming, treating sores and wounds, plus farriery.
For more details (tel: 020 7828 0997) or visit www.spana.org
