The Brooke - The Duchess of Cornwall - new President of the Brooke

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall has become President of the Brooke, the UK’s foremost charity helping millions of working equine animals and their owners in some of the poorest parts in the world.

The Brooke has been helping working animals and supporting their sustainable use in some of the poorest parts of the world for over seventy years, concentrating mainly on the Middle East, North and East Africa, Asia and, most recently, South America.

With its extensive network of mobile teams the charity provides desperately needed care to stricken animals working in some of the harshest parts of the world, ensuring animals are healthy and fit for work – and benefiting the several million family members who are supported by their labours.

The Brooke’s 730 field staff provides free veterinary care, training and education programmes for animal owners across nine countries worldwide, and it has most recently embarked on a project to reach one million working horses and donkeys in Ethiopia by 2010.

HRH The Duchess of Cornwall becomes Brooke's President © Warrick Page/Panos Pictures

The patronage was announced on the day Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited the work of the British charity in earthquake-afflicted north-west Pakistan, where the charity has been helping tens of thousands of animals and their owners in the region devastated by the earthquake in October last year.

Livestock and equine animals are essential to the livelihoods of countless communities in this vast region of Pakistan, and the loss of over 500,000 animals during the earthquake left millions of people with no livelihood, destitute and hungry.

Their Royal Highnesses heard how Brooke vets were some of the first on the scene providing first aid to both human and animal victims of the devastating quake, and shown how the charity* has embarked on a unique venture to give long-lasting animal caring skills to thousands of women in the region.

In this part of Pakistan, women are the primary carers of animals – for many their most precious asset. Their Royal Highnesses learnt how women are being taught vital techniques to keep their animals healthy, including the use of art to encourage the women to express the importance of their animals.

Their Royal Highnesses are not strangers to the Brooke’s unique work, which helps over half a million working equine animals worldwide. In March of this year, Their Royal Highnesses visited the charity’s work in Cairo, Egypt, where it was founded 72 years ago by a horse-loving English woman, Mrs. Dorothy Brooke.

Mike Baker, the Brooke’s Chief Executive, said of the Presidency: “We are delighted Her Royal Highness is now formally involved with the charity. Her Presidency is a great boost for both our staff and animal owners worldwide, in particular for those people affected by the devastating earthquake in Pakistan.”

To view pictures of the visit click here

* In conjunction with international humanitarian organisation, Mercy Corps

Editors Notes:
Brooke’s earthquake relief work: in the aftermath of the earthquake in Pakistan, the Brooke's mobile veterinary teams tended to over 34,000 animals in the region, and since its vets were some of the first medical parishioners on the scene, it treated over 3,000 human injuries in the immediate aftermath of the quake. It also organised a 40-strong donkey train to take 50,000 kg supplies high up into the mountains, and built hundreds of winterised shelters for animals (at the owners' request) and distributed fodder & vaccinated animals widely. It now works with Mercy Corps in a unique venture to help thousands of women keep their working animals healthy. Never before have woman been the focus of such a large-scale integrated programme aimed to protect livelihoods and the welfare of animals.