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The animals
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Making a difference to faithful Farah's impossible job
 | | | Gaber Omran was desperately poor. He could not afford to give his donkey Farah any breakfast - and he didn't think to give him a morning drink.
Every day Gaber would load poor Farah's cart with up to 35 gas cylinders weighing a staggering 40kg each. |
 | | | For the next 11 hours, hungry and parched, the faithful donkey would haul between 1,200kg and 1,400kg through the potholed streets of Marsa Matrouh, Egypt.
At the end of that day, after hauling the cart more then 30 miles, Farah would get a meagre amount of straw and barley and, at last, some water. |
| After seven years of this torture, Farah's head began to droop, his ears flattened and his walking became sluggish and erratic. Then came the shaking and, again and again, collapsing.
Gaber had been too busy trying to scrape a living to notice Farah’s decline. Horrified, he led poor Farah to the Brooke’s Matrouh clinic. |
| Our vets had rarely seen such exhaustion in a working animal. It was so severe they took in Farah as an in-patient.
After two days of fluids, strengthening medicines, plenty of thirst-quenching water, and the fresh, nutritious food Farah's head began to lift. He was recovering.
Now came the important second phase - ensuring a healthier, happier future for Farah. Our vets offered Gaber guidance on giving his donkey:
- regular water (they provided Gaber a bucket to do so)
- regular rests (including a break in the midday heat)
- proper grooming (they also gave him a comb to do this)
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| Importantly, they also urged Gaber to reduce the crippling loads. |
| Equipped with a better understanding of how to look after his hardworking animal, Gaber now ensures that there are always less than 20 cylinders on the cart. As a result, Farah's health has permanently improved.
Farah's story shows that even the hardest worked animals can be happier and healthier if they are given the care and respect they deserve.
The Brooke reaches thousands of working animals like Farah, bringing:
and
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training - to owners and the communities where they live |
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