SPANA work to help working animals in many countries around the world.  My other half and I saw them at work in Marrakech, helping hard-working horses.

But SPANA report that many working animals such as horses, donkeys and mules are being abandoned and left to fend for themselves as their owners have lost their income during the times of the coronavirus.  They cannot afford to keep their animals.

Many owners who are in this situation think that if they can’t feed their animals, then the best thing to do is to let them go so that they can forage for themselves.  Then at the least, they have a chance of survival.

Thousands of working animals are now left to fight for their lives.  They are defenceless and alone. 

In Africa, SPANA’s teams have seen an increase in traffic accidents as more animals are roaming freely since lockdown.

Some abandoned animals are being discovered and brought to SPANA with problems such as colic – they’ve been scavenging for food and eating things which aren’t edible.   They’ve been gathering together and mixing which has meant that infectious disease and parasites have spread.

Stray dogs and abandoned equids have attacked each other out of hunger and frustration.

They need emergency feed, life-saving treatment and knowledgeable, expert care.  

SPANA are asking for donations to help them care for abandoned working animals.  Please spread the word and see how you can help today.

 image ©The Sloth Institute

The Sloth Institute are based in Costa Rica.  Their mission is "to enhance and expand the welfare and conservation of sloths."

It has a three angled approach to achieving its mission:  research, education and conservation.  It's not a sloth sanctuary;   it specialises in research and education, focusing on the behaviour, health and welfare of recently released, wild and captive sloths. 

This October, The Sloth Institute is running a full diary of sloth actiivties in their first Slothtoberfest!

Follow #slothlove to help keep up with all the sloth goings-on.  There are virtual activities and all "sloth adoptions" are half price for all of October!

Adopt a sloth during Slothtoberfest, and you'll automatically be entered into a live raffle drawing on 2 November.  The winner will receive a FREE upgrade to a Hero adoption - and that includes a live video chat with a sloth expert and the sloth "in training" of your choice! 

Find out how to mix your own sloth cocktail, how to draw a sloth - and there's a quiz too so that you can test your own sloth knowledge!

Head off to the Sloth Institute to find out more!

If you love donkeys, please take a moment to read about two ways to help them.

Call on world leaders to ban the donkey skin trade

The Brooke says that at the moment, millions of donkeys are being killed across the world so that their skin can be sold to create traditional Chinese medicine and cosmetics.

This is a very cruel trade:  sometimes the donkeys are stolen, driven hundreds of miles without food or water and brutally killed at the end of the journey.

As well as being very cruel to the donkeys, it means that families are left without their precious donkeys who help families earn a living.  Without the donkeys, the families fall deeper into poverty.

At the moment, ten countries have announced trade bans, including Senegal and Pakistan.

We need more world leaders to join them and end this cruelty. Our aim needs to be a global ban?

Will you demand action for donkeys and donkey owners today?

Help donkeys and owners in Kenya

A ban on the donkey skin trade was announced in Kenya in February 2020, and donkey owners were full of joy.   They could sleep at night knowing their donkey – and their livelihood – were safe.  The threat of their donkeys being stolen had been removed.

Unfortunately, slaughterhouses and traders are going to court to try to overturn the ban. 

We need to put pressure on politicians and demand they keep their promise.  We need to ensure the public and politicians understand how vital this ban is.

Two actions we can all take to help donkeys:

1.   Please share this video to keep the campaign in the spotlight.   It tells the stories from donkey owners in Kenya.

Please call on world leaders to ban the donkey skin trade

2.   Please sign the petition urging world leaders to take action and ban the global donkey skin trade.