Help End Cruelty to Donkeys in Egypt

The Egyptians are a superstitious people and whenchecking their teeth and bit, inspecting the harness
an animal is often their only means of earning anand spraying with citronella to keep the flies at bay.
income they are unwilling to change their ways. WaysTreatment is given by 2 residents vets, Dr. David
that have been handed down from father to sonMechelle Saweris E.V.M.S and Dr. Assma Abd EL
over the generations. They do not mean to be cruelMowgood E.V.M.S.ACE was opened in July 2000 by
to their working animals but something had to betwo animal lovers (Kim and Julie) who had initially
done to break this cycle of the misinformation.come to Egypt on holiday. They were so distressed
The animal that tourists come into the closestby the condition of the horses and donkeys they
contact with in Egypt is the carriage horse. Carriages,saw around Luxor, they decided to do something to
called caleches in Egypt, are a feature of everyhelp.
tourist destination throughout the country.ACE started as a simple idea to give these animals a
These carriages are brightly decorated and are pulledbreak from their long working day in the hot sun,
by horses that have descended from animals leftsomewhere they could have their tack removed, a
behind by the British army. These horses are oftenwash and a drink. The dirt and sweat under the tack
ill-shod, malnourished, frequently had badly fittingwas rubbing, causing sores and eventually open
harnesses and are made to gallop unnecessarily, inwounds. Now many of these sores are being
the very high temperatures, often up to 50 degreesprevented by teaching the owners to regularly wash
during Luxor's summer. They stand in full sunshinetheir animals.
waiting for customers whilst their drivers smoke inACE has now evolved into a fully functioning
the shade. Their working day ends only when the lastveterinary hospital with up to 200 animals visiting a
tourists return to their hotel. Something had to beday (most requiring some sort of medical attention),
done and so the seeds of ACE were sown.ranging from water buffalo, camels, horses and
Egypt relies on its tourist trade and in Luxor theredonkeys to cats, dogs and even tortoises.
are four hundred officially registered caleches. AfterACE knows that most visitors rarely see the
witnessing the harsh working day of the calechethousands of working animals serving the needs of
horses and noting the significance of their link withthe tourist industry. They are still used as the main
the tourist industry, Julie Wartenberg realised thattransport for most things, from the bricks, steel and
what the horses needed was a "wash &cement used in the building to the huge amount of
brush-up" and so the seeds of Animal Care in Egyptfood and drink consumed in Luxor every day. These
were sown.animals are almost overloaded and overworked.
ACE's founding purpose is to improve the lives ofACE is trying to improve the lives of these animals
these high profile animals used mainly by tourists; sonot only by treatment but also by education and
its first centre has been set up in Luxor, in an areaprevention. The service we provide is free to the
called El Gouahera, where many carriage drivers live.poor owners who rely so heavily on their animals to
Luxor is a hot, dry, sandy, dusty city so the horsesfeed, clothe and house their families.
are given what they need, washing and grooming inACE is completely funded by voluntary donation and
clean fresh water. This allows us to give them aneed your help to continue this vital work.
preventive medical examination involving checking forIf you wish to donate please click on the link below.
lesions (soon fly-blown in the city's atmosphere),