The Greek Donkey.

The humble donkey has played a significant part in Greek culture and tradition.......

The role of this beast of burden has been represented in Greek religion and Greek history from ancient times. It was the animal who carried Mary mother of Jesus and it was the animal that carried wartime munitions.

The donkey still labours for Greek people today although its numbers are in decline following the introduction of mechanical transportation. Those that remain, work mainly in rural areas where they transport numerous commodities such as oranges, olives, oil, firewood, cattle fodder and of course people.

Both donkeys and horses are now being used as part of the tourist experience such as trekking and taxiing luggage for visitors. In famous holiday resorts such as Santorini teams of donkeys labour daily throughout the season carrying overweight tourists up the steep incline to the picturesque town.

The Greek nation owes a great debt to the donkey, without whose cheap labour - lives would have been lost - progress stagnated and present communities left floundering. Now, this same animal provides new ‘tourist based’ employment and provides many Greek people with a living.

So what is the present situation in Greece with regard to this animal.... which has laboured over centuries and contributed enormously to the very core of society and the survival of many Greek people?

Do Greek people have an affinity with this animal, is there a place in their hearts for the humble donkey, do they express any care or concern - Well for some, the answer is yes BUT are facilities available whereby elderly owners of donkeys are assisted and educated in the care of their animals by the provision of a Greek government sponsored service?  A service which provides these animals the specialist health facilities they so desperately need. Donkeys require vital hoof and teeth maintenance in order to work in later years in comfort and free from pain.  Is there a service which offers general health care such as medication for arthritis at affordable prices along with vital education which would enable help to be sought and found?

The answer is a resounding and shameful.............. NO

The only care and welfare offered to donkeys in Greece comes via sponsored volunteers from overseas, who travel and attend to donkeys which have been rescued or who are owned in adjacent local communities. This is a quote from a Donkey Sanctuary owner;

’ We are very fortunate that the Greek Animal Welfare Fund finance this visit to Crete. It is the only time that a qualified vet, equine dentist and farrier visit the donkeys here in Crete. It is an essential service for the owners of donkeys and of course the donkeys themselves. We are rightly very proud of this outreach programme. 31 donkeys were treated in 2 days, feet, teeth, eyes, wounds and even a prolapsed condition.

These sponsored groups reach but a tiny section of the many Greek donkeys in need, their work is vital and so much appreciated – sadly – it is a small but precious drop in an ocean of desperate need.

Without available resources to either educate owners or provide such services on a wider scale, this is the result.............total abject misery. Day in and day out these elderly donkeys suffer enormous pain with no relief or availability to either medication or treatment.  When it is finally acknowledged by their owners that their donkeys are beyond working, there is no mercy shown. Many of these animals are either tethered out in the full sun of summer with no food or water to die or they are sold for a few euros to slaughterhouses. These crippled sick donkeys are bundled onto cattle trucks and transported in miserable conditions to Italy...........the last miserable miles to their death - after a lifetime of labour.

Donkeys need hoof treatment, otherwise they become    crippled and eventually are so deformed that they are beyond help. Faced with the reality of daily agonising pain they shift their weight to gain relief either by curling their hooves under or tipping them forward. Whichever method they adopt in order to relieve themselves of pain inevitably leads to further pain and eventual deformity. Euthanasia is not accepted nor is it sought. Ignorance, neglect, or complete disregard, no matter the reasons proffered - none is acceptable and much more can be done.

If the Greek government is unable to self finance programs then it can at the very least open the doors of bureaucracy. Action to ease, encourage and expand the passage of voluntary helpers from abroad would be invaluable. Government bodies could sponsor television and media coverage to inform, educate and facilitate improvements. The government has access to several Greek TV channels. Why is it not possible to work with animal foundations and sanctuaries, these safe places for rescued donkeys draw tourists – this promotion would be enormously helpful to both their survival and expansion and of course in their continued valuable care for donkeys.

Many Greek people have little respect or tolerance for domesticated animals. Cats and dogs suffer enormously not least because of a lack of understanding or passed down misinformation. The humble donkey it seems is no exception. The best contribution a fiscally challenged nation can make at this time, which costs little but which could bring about change, is via education. By instruction for the inclusion of animal welfare care, responsibility and understanding into the educational curriculum – 20 minutes a week would constitute a positive and valuable step forward.

Improvements for animals in this country are long overdue and a government which continually ignores the situation leaves Greece sinking still further into the backwaters of European society.

Valerie Peach. March 2010.