Every week, more than 300 donkeys walk up to 25 miles (40km) to reach the Lengijave market in Arusha, Tanzania, hauling back-breaking loads of firewood, charcoal and other goods…
And after completing this exhausting journey, they are ‘rewarded’ by baking in the heat with no shade, no water and no relief – only the burning sun and swirling dust clouds driven by the area’s fierce winds.
300 donkeys are trapped in an endless cycle of suffering in Tanzania. They need your help before it’s too late.
For over six brutal hours, the donkeys stand tethered as their bodies roast in the heat, their skin torn and bleeding from sharp firewood wounds and their eyes stinging from relentless wind and dust. When the day is finally over, they are overloaded once again and forced to make the same painful journey home, their energy sapped from their hours of torment.
This situation is about to become even more critical.
While donkeys are well-adapted to arid environments, they struggle to regulate their body temperature in extreme heat. The Tanzanian summer is just one month away, and temperatures will soon soar as high as 95°F (35°C) – and the donkeys will have nowhere to hide.
Without shade and water, these donkeys face deadly heat stress, dehydration and even organ failure.
We must act right away to bring the donkeys relief before the hottest months hit.
With your help, we will build two shaded areas where donkeys can escape the sun year-round, install water troughs with built-in piping to a nearby water supply, and purchase a 1,320-gallon (5,000-liter) water tank to ensure constant access to fresh, clean and cool water.
Our local partner, the Arusha Society for the Protection of Animals (ASPA), is ready to begin construction as soon as we can raise the funds. But unless we start soon, the shelters and water systems will not be in place before the heat becomes unbearable.
We have helped other donkeys in this same terrible situation and changed their lives. At another market in a small rural village called Mirongoine, supporters like you helped us build shelters that now provide vital shade and water for more than 2,000 donkeys.
Now, the donkeys of Lengijave desperately need the same support.
Will you help us give 300 vulnerable donkeys in Tanzania the shade and water they need to survive the looming African summer?
Our team visits Lengijave every week, monitoring the donkeys and treating those with injuries. Yet when the donkeys’ wounds have been treated, the team is forced to leave them baking in the hot sun. It is so hard to see them suffer so badly, and we are truly doing our best to help them.
But our ability to do more depends entirely on animal-lovers like you.
We cannot wait until the heat becomes deadly for these donkeys. The animals need immediate help. Please donate generously to Network for Animals today.
