New shelters bring respite to Nepal's brick kiln equines

The equines, which work in various brick kilns dotted around the city of Nepalgunj, are seen as the backbone of Nepal’s construction industry. Yet, their plight remains largely invisible and overlooked.

We have already been involved in helping the donkeys and mules that work in Nepalese brick kilns.

As part of a Covid-19 relief operation in early 2020 alongside our partner organisation Animal Nepal, we helped to provide vital supplies to donkeys, mules, and their owners after the Nepalese government announced a sudden lockdown.

The aid was supplied as part of our Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund, launched in July 2020 to tackle the immediate and acute need that the coronavirus pandemic caused within working equine and equine-owning communities across the globe.

The widespread national lockdowns worsened these communities’ social, economic and welfare challenges.

Following the successful delivery of support provisions to the equines and their owners, the next stage of the relief project saw the construction of shelters for donkeys working in the brick kilns.

The Nepalgunj municipality kindly supplied the land to build the new shelters, which Animal Nepal steadily transformed into grazing pasture for the equines. The project was realised in January 2022 with the construction of an isolation shelter and a regular shelter.

The isolation facility can accommodate three to five equines at a time, while the regular shelter can accommodate more than 45 animals. It will be made available to donkeys and mules whose owners do not have access to their own land.

The isolation unit and shelter will help to ensure the working equines’ welfare in Nepalgunj and decrease the number of donkeys freely roaming on the city streets.

The isolation centre will also help minimise the cases of contagious and zoonotic diseases, such as glanders, which is believed to be a widespread issue in Nepal.

Our Programmes Support Officer for South Asia, Sophie Neller, says: “These shelters are so important in improving the welfare of donkeys and mules during the off-season.

“Without these safe and secure spaces, these animals would be left to fend for themselves. The additional grazing means that the donkeys and mules will be in a better condition when they return for the next kiln season.

“There have also been problems in Nepalgunj with excessive manure left on the road, which is a public health issue. Before the shelters were installed, equines would roam the city streets in the off-season. This posed a danger to both the donkeys, mules and motorists in Nepalgunj, especially when the animals would wander into the roads.

“Even if the two shelters prevent just one road accident, these are lives potentially saved.”

The shelters’ construction was celebrated by Dr Dhawal Shamsher Rana, the mayor of Nepalgunj, and Pramada Shah, president of Animal Nepal, at an inauguration ceremony.

Dr Rana expressed his gratitude to Animal Nepal for providing support and relief to all the working equines and equine owning communities. He also urged equine owners to ensure the welfare of all the working equines and cooperate with Animal Nepal for future treatment and care.

Ms Shah also extended her appreciation towards the continuous support and supervision of the city’s municipality, adding that the communities have helped her teams ensure the welfare of equines in Nepalgunj.