In a small, impoverished community near Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, our partner, Matabeleland Animal Rescue & Equine Sanctuary (MARES), was conducting an outreach mission to vaccinate and treat working donkeys when a desperate owner approached them for help.
He pointed to his gentle donkey, Big Boy, who had been limping painfully for five long months. With no vets in this vast African wilderness and no money for transport, there had been no-one he could turn to for help. He did what little he could to keep Big Boy alive until he found our team. When our partner examined Big Boy, the sight broke their hearts.
The donkey’s hind leg was swollen, deformed and severely infected. He could barely walk.
Big Boy was driven to a veterinary clinic, where X-rays revealed the horrifying truth: a thick wire snare, likely set by poachers to trap wild animals, was embedded deep inside his leg – slicing through his flesh and cutting into his bone. It was embedded so deeply it could not be seen with the naked eye.
It is a miracle Big Boy survived as long as he did without help. The infection is severe, and the wire snare may damage the tendons beyond repair.
Right now, he is on strong antibiotics and painkillers to manage the infection, but he needs life-saving surgery to remove the embedded wire and begin physiotherapy and rehabilitation so that he can walk again.
Big Boy is still gentle despite months of unimaginable suffering.
The infection is still raging and difficult to treat. Without immediate surgery, Big Boy may lose his leg and possibly his life.
If we can provide the help he needs, he has a strong chance of making a full recovery. Please, if you can, make an emergency donation today to help fund Big Boy’s surgery and rehabilitation.
Your gift will ensure Big Boy receives:
- crucial surgery to remove the wire snare
- antibiotics and pain medication to treat the infection
- wound cleaning and veterinary care
- physiotherapy and rehabilitation to help him walk free from pain
- Big Boy has suffered long enough. You can be the reason he walks again.
There are so many donkeys in Africa who suffer abominable cruelty, and we try to help as many as possible. At least Big Boy has an owner who did his best and traveled for miles to find us when he heard we were in the area. Please join us in ensuring this sad tale has a happy ending.
Please, donate now to give Big Boy and so many other donkeys a second chance.
