Recognition of emotion and pain by owners benefits the welfare of donkeys in a challenging working environment.

ABSTRACT: Working donkeys (Equus asinus) support human living standards globally. However, there is little information on the effect of human perceptions of emotion and pain on the welfare of working donkeys. We interviewed donkey owners (n = 332) in Pakistan to determine the relationship between human perspectives on donkey sentience: emotions and the ability to feel pain, and the routine working practices that could impact donkey welfare. The majority of donkey owners used padding under the saddle (n = 211; 63.6%; 95% CI (58.3%-68.9%)) and provided access to food (n = 213; 64.2%; 95% CI (58.9%-69.3%)) and water (n = 195; 58.7%; 95% CI (53.4%-64.1%)) during the working day. Owners reported that at some point in their donkey's life, 65.3% (95% CI (60.2%-70.5%)) had

SUBMITTER: Bukhari SSUH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10416770 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature