1. Introduction:

The equine population of the world was reported to be 122.4 million with 40 million donkeys, 15 million mules, and 43.3 million horses. The number of equines in Africa was in the range of 17.6 million comprising 11.6 million donkeys, 2.3 mullion mules, and 3.7 million horses (Geiger et al., 2021). According to central statistical report of 2021/22, Ethiopia possess about an estimated 2.1 million horses, 8.9 million donkeys, 0.4 million mules harboring the largest population of donkeys in Africa and the second largest donkey population in the world. The country possesses approximately half of Africa’s equine population with 37%, 58%, and 46% of all African donkeys, horses, and mules, respectively (Atirihun et al., 2019). 

In many developing countries around the world, working equids contribute to family livelihoods and perform a wide variety of economic, social, and labor-reducing functions especially in mountainous areas, where motorized vehicles have limited access (Romero et al., 2022). In Africa, the equid is a very essential animal for people’s daily work. They are utilized for pack, draught, agricultural work, and riding, and their owners are often from poor communities with incomes below the international poverty line (Adam et al., 2023). Working animals provide more than 50% of the world′s agricultural energy for traction, while the internal combustion engines provide less than 30%, with the remaining percentage provided by men or women. In many developing countries rising fuel prices are causing a significant number of urban workers to switch from motorized vehicles to equine powered carts (Gelaye, and Fesseha, 2020).

Equines are vital animals to the resource-poor communities in rural and urban parts of Ethiopia, providing traction power and transport services at low cost. The usage of equines in door-to-door delivery service also gives urban inhabitants with the option of money generating (Dembelo, 2012). Horses, donkeys, and mules are extensively used, particularly in the rural socio-economic activities. Horses are transport animals, utilized for riding as well as for rural and urban transport. They occupy an important function in the agricultural and transport sectors of Ethiopia, particularly as draft power, pack and riding animals. Carts powered by horses are a common mode of transportation in urban and peri-urban settings when electromotive power is either nonexistent or insufficient to meet transportation needs (Asmare and Yayeh, 2017).

Donkeys are mainly used for transportation of farm products from farmstead to home, to and from market, grain to and from grinding mill houses, fire wood and charcoal for household use or sale, stone and blocks for construction, water for manual-irrigation like growing cash crops including chat, fertilizers, seedlings, aid-supplies, for ploughing and as cash income for the family (Tiruneh et al., 2016).

Animal welfare refers to the physical and emotional state that is impacted by the environment in which the animal lives and works human attitudes and practices, and resources available to it. Welfare is an ever-changing state in which all of these factors can and will cause welfare to fluctuate between good, bad, and somewhere in between on a near constant basis (Arega et al., 2023). The status of animal welfare keeping is variable between developed and developing world. The source of differences arises due to there is a difference in the interest of policy makers between developed and developing nations in driving up of consumers to demand products passing animal welfare standards (Asebe  et al ., 2016).

The animal welfare is being compromised internationally due to several constraints such as poverty and lack of knowledge (Herago et al., 2015). Working horses' welfare is poor despite their uses, due to insufficient management and care, particularly in nations like Sudan, where they are susceptible to poor welfare. Mistreatment, cruelty, and a lack of veterinary care for equids have all led to premature death; and at present, a working life of only 4–6 years (Adam et al., 2023). Some methods of hobbling to restrain cause discomfort and inflict wounds and poorly designed harnesses or yokes that may be heavy and ragged have an effect on the animals health and safety (Amante et al., 2014). Diseases of working equids are linked to their working conditions and environment and span from infectious diseases including zoonoses to non-infectious conditions like lameness and colic. If untreated, they cause severe effects on animal health and welfare, frequently leading to death. Diseases also affect the equid’s working efficiency and their income-generating capacity, which is particularly detrimental to households that own only one equid (Bonsi et al., 2023).

Although smaller in total numbers than food production animals, working donkeys are the backbone of household and national economies in numerous countries, contributing to a number of industries which would come to a standstill without them. The challenges faced by individuals and their working equids vary across communities and geographic locations; consequently, a broad brush, one-size-fits-all approach to addressing welfare issues is unlikely to work even within the same country (Geiger et al., 2021). Despite the large numbers of donkeys population and their invaluable contributions as an engine that power rural as well as urban economic development of the nation, donkeys in Ethiopia are the most neglected animals and little attention is given to study their health status (Abdela et al., 2017).  Though Donkeys provide invaluable support for the livelihoods of communities in the Hobicha woreda; however, there is still scarcity of updated information regarding donkey welfare issues and health status.

Therefore the objectives the current studies were:

• To investigate major health problems and status in donkeys in the study area.
• To assess major constraints compromising the welfare of wording donkeys.

2. Materials And Methods

2.1. Study area

The study was conducted in the Hobicha woreda, which is one of the 22 woredas located in Wolaita Zone. The woreda is located between 06042ʹ11ʹʹN to 06049ʹ20ʹʹN latitude and 37045ʹ56.4ʹʹE to 38005ʹ16Eʹʹ longitudes. According to Wolaita zone agricultural department report, the administrative center of Hobicha woreda, Bada town, is located at a distance of 18km away to the direction of North from Abela Abaya, 22 km away to the direction of South from Damot woyde, 27 km away to the direction of Northwest from Sidama zone (specially Loka Abaya woreda), 18Km away to the direction of Southeast from Sodo Zuria woreda, 21 Km South east from Humbo woreda (WZAD, 2018).

2.2. Study Animals

Study animals for this study were working donkeys selected from the district regardless of sex, work type, body condition and age. The age of the selected working donkeys was determined according to owner’s information and the dentition pattern as described by Crane and Svendsen (1997); hence classified as young, adult and old. The body condition of animals also characterized according to Svendsen (2008) as good, medium and poor body condition scores.

2.3. Study Design

A cross-sectional study was carried out from August 2025 to November 2025 to investigate the welfare status and health conditions of working donkeys found in the selected kebeles of Hobicha district Wolaita zone in southern Ethiopia.

2.4. Sample Size and Sampling Method:             

Simple random sampling technique was conducted to select required donkeys sample from the study area. The sample size for this study was determined by the formula described by Thrusfield (2005). Accordingly, at 95% confidence level and precision of 5% the total sample size was determined to be 384 since there was no research carried out on the title previously in the study area. So, for this particular study the sample size was as following

                               n = (1.96)² Pexp (1-Pexp)d2

                                n= (1.96)² 0.5(1-0.5)(0.05)²  = 384        

Where n= sample size required; 1.96=the value of Z at 95% confidence interval; Pexp= expected prevalence; d= desired absolute precision

Hence, 384 donkeys were sampled using simple random sampling method from the study area.

2.5. Method of Data Collection

Data collection format for direct assessment was developed and data were collected by direct physical examination of the equine Prior to the assessment, consent was obtained from animal’s owners by introducing the objective of the study. Information regarding general body condition such as wound type, dermatological disease, musculo-skeletal disease, other disease signs and behavior, age categories, body condition score, work type and condition of harnessing were properly recorded on data collection format according to Pritchard et al (2005).

A semi-structured questionnaire was designed and validated to be subjected to the randomly selected animal owners and interviewed so that relevant information was collected about the uses of their equine, size of animals ownership at a household level, the magnitude of workload of their animal, management practices (feeding, watering, housing) and health care.

2.6. Data Analysis

The data collated according to species, age, sex and work type and will be recorded by hand and results will be inserted in to MS- excel spread sheet program to create a data base and  will be transferred to the SPSS software version 26 program and analyzed by using descriptive statistical. The results of the study was interpreted and reported in tables, percentages, and figures.

3. Results

3.1. General Description

In the study area from a total of 384 donkeys included in the study, the majority 291 (75.8%) were males whereas 93 (24.2%) were females. High number donkeys observed were 45.3% were categorized under adult age category; about 38.5% were old donkeys and the rest 16.4% were categorized under young age. Among the observed animals 112(29.2%) were having good body condition, 176 (45.8%) were of Medium body condition and 96 (25%) showed poor body condition. From the total animals observed the majority 2246 (64%) donkeys has been used for pack services, and 138 (35.9%) equines has been used for cart purpose Table 1.

Tabe-1 Description of work types, body condition score, sex and age groups of the observed Donkeys

3.2. Major health problems identified in the study area

As stated in Table-2 from the total 384 donkeys included in this study during this study period; 187 (48.69%) equines shown different health problems. Among the identified health problems wounds of different origin account the high percentage 28.87% followed by External parasites and other skin infections (21.9%), Musculoskeletal problems (20.8%), Infectious diseases of different causes (17.1%) and 6.95% were having dental problems and 4.27% were having eye problems.

Table-2: Major health problems identified in the study area

3.3. Major constraints comprising donkey welfare in the study area

There are various problems or constraints faced by the respondent owners, health workers in the utilization and production of equines. The semi structured questionnaire was prepared and distributed to donkey owners and animal health workers. The major welfare constraints in the study area were Shortage of feed and water, Health problems, Overloading and overworking and Poor attitude/lack of awareness. Among them health problems take the higher percentage (32.5%), shortage of feed and water take 21.25%, poor attitude and lack of awareness towards management and care of equines also account 16.25%, overloading and overworking take (17.5%),and Lack of adequate health care and veterinary services took 20% which is indicated in figure 1.