TITLE:
Management Practices, Utilization and Challenges of Donkey in Godey Town, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia
AUTHORS:
Guled Hassen, Kawnin Abdimahad, Kiflay Welday, Abdihakim Ma’alin, Abdulahi Mahamed, Aden Omer
KEYWORDS:
Donkey, Management Practices, Utilization, Challenges
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Animal Sciences,
Vol.12 No.4,
September
5,
2022
ABSTRACT: The
study was conducted in Godey town of Shebelle zone, Somali Regional State,
Ethiopia. The objective of the study was to assess management practices,
utilization, and challenges of donkey. A total of 200 households who own
working donkeys were selected purposely for this study. Data were collected using
semi-structured questionnaires, key
informants interviews, focus
group discussions with communities who own donkeys and personal observations. The study revealed that the majority of the
respondents were illiterate which might be associated with poor education
access in the area. The study further revealed that 92% of working donkeys were
involved in drought work, whereas 18% were used for pack work. The common feed
resources for donkeys were feeds obtained from natural pasture, green maize
leaves, hay, household wastes and grain supplements. Pipe water, river water,
and pond water were the main water sources for working donkeys in the study
area. About 91% of households kept their donkeys in an open backyard, while 9%
of them kept them in a separate shed built adjacent to or a short distance away from the
family home. Donkeys provide cart services in the study area, transporting
various items weighing more than 300 kg in order to obtain a high benefit in a
short period of time and are more than six days per week. Working donkeys in
the current study area had a life span of fewer than 6 years, 7 - 10 years, and more than 10 years, with 18.5%, 75.5%,
and 6%, respectively. The most important constraints that affect donkey
production and utilization in the study area were a lack of feed, health
problems (sickness, wounds, etc.), overloading and overworking, poor road and
harnessing problems, and poor attitude/lack of awareness. As a result, in order
to enhance working donkey management concerns, area-based development
interventions that can overcome current constraints should be employed.