By media release

 

West Africa is having a generally hard time at the moment, as we all know far too well due to the daily news about Ebola. Whilst The Gambia is fortunate to currently remain Ebola free, this disease is taking its toll on the country in a different way. Because of the worry over the spread of Ebola across West African countries, tourists are choosing to stay away from this fabulous winter sun destination. As a result, the tourist trade which should now be booming is dull and quiet. Tourists are choosing to travel instead to places they feel are safer during the Ebola crisis, and so the Gambian people who rely on the tourist trade for their living are left to suffer.

 

The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust is a small UK registered charity working in The Gambia to alleviate the suffering of working horses and donkeys and their owners. The reduction in numbers of tourists travelling to The Gambia will mean that the charity receives less visits from donors, and it has sadly meant that their annual show has had to be cancelled for this year. The annual Horse and Donkey Show is a real incentive for the farmers to take excellent care of their working animals, and is something that the whole local community look forward to each year as a chance to show off their well cared for animals. Over recent years, the competition has become increasingly stiff and there will be hundreds of disappointed farmers on receiving news of the show being cancelled.

 

But sadly that is not the least of the farmer’s worries. A large part of the work of the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust involves holding mobile veterinary clinics throughout the Central River Region of The Gambia – an essential service for the farmers and their animals who receive little or no veterinary care elsewhere. The charity normally has two 4x4 vehicles to run these programmes, but a string of unfortunate events has left the charity with both its trusty vehicles completely out of service, and it is looking extremely unlikely that either of the vehicles will become road worthy again in the near future due to the extent of their problems. This means that the charity have had to halt all of their mobile veterinary clinics. As a result of this, hundreds of horses, donkeys and mules will be unable to receive veterinary care throughout the area. There are no veterinary surgeons in this area of The Gambia, so without the GHDT clinics, the equine owners really have no one to turn to. This time of year is an essential time for equine veterinary care, as the animals are coming to the end of their season of hard farming work with the crop harvests now being brought in. After a few months of hard work, the working equine’s immune systems are at an all-time low and they are at greater risk of contracting the prevalent disease, Trypanosomiasis. This disease is easily treatable at a mobile clinic with one injection, but without treatment the disease is fatal.

 

 

This is a desperate plea to ask for any support towards sourcing a new 4x4 left hand drive, twin cab pick-up vehicle for the charity as a matter of great urgency. This is something that is important to assisting the lives of working equines, but also their owners who rely on their animals for their own survival. The charity would be very happy to source the vehicle from anywhere in Europe and it will be shipped to The Gambia.

 

If you are able to help but require further details about what the charity requires, please contact Heather Armstrong on 01306 627568 or email heather@gambaihorseanddonkey.org.uk.

 

If you are able to make a donation towards the purchase and shipping of a new vehicle, you can do so at http://www.gambiahorseanddonkey.org.uk/donate.htm. 

 

We are extremely grateful for absolutely any support with this matter of urgency – thank you.