THEIR ASS IS ON THE LINE

by: jenna kretzmann

They are loved, famous, fuzzy and potentially in greater danger than ever before. They are the donkeys of Makhanda.

A town suffering from a water crisis and the lingering effects of a ‘silent strike’, places the citizens of Makhanda in a less than decent state of living. However, the town’s most loved and popular residents are suffering silently, just as much as their human counterparts.

Walking down High Street, one can see a herd of donkeys roaming the road. Although these animals are owned by predominantly lower-income community members from surrounding areas of Makhanda, the animals are mainly left to fend for themselves. Speaking to the Grahamstown SPCA inspector, Phillip McDougall, the donkeys should be kept on properties where they are fed and cared for. However, they are often left to fend for themselves.

A donkey’s diet should be low in protein, sugar and starch but high in fibre. However, when the owners leave their animals to find food in a polluted town, a donkey will scavenge for any food that it can find. In 2015, The Daily Dispatch wrote “the donkeys…were roaming the streets daily, ripping open rubbish bags” and this has yet to change. Due to the recent strike by the Makana Municipality, the number of plastic bags and food waste found along the town’s streets has increased. This in turn makes the donkeys easily susceptible to consuming plastic and rotten food. McDougall said that the augmented piles of litter leads to donkeys being at risk of “polluted waters, plastic consumption and disease”.

The shortage of water in the town also poses a threat to the donkeys’ wellbeing. “Should the water supply be disrupted, owners will not be able to give their donkeys water,” said McDougall. This can lead to dehydration and other health problems, such as kidney stones. McDougall stated that the SPCA has dealt with a fair number of donkey deaths, however it is hard to say whether this was related to malnutrition, plastic consumption or dehydration.

This then poses the question, who should be held responsible for the donkeys and their health risks? How can the residents of Makhanda, who are faced with their own issues, help protect the rights of the donkeys?

periodt.