Mule trains to mountain roads: the role of working mules in supporting resilient communities in the Himalayas.

ABSTRACT: Working equids play a central role in mountainous communities, but their work often goes unnoticed by the wider world, with sparse documentation of their role, value, or welfare - a state which often extends to their human counterparts. Communities living in the remote Manaslu Valley, Nepal, face a number of uncertainties, including extreme weather events due to the seasonal monsoon and, more recently, the construction of a new road network. Using semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and Equine Assessment Research and Scoping (EARS) welfare assessments, we outline the specific role of pack mules in supporting the lives of local people, explain the nuanced links between human experience and mule welfare, and gain insight into how people living in this volatile environment manage unce

SUBMITTER: Kubasiewicz LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11322082 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature