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Ethiopian extremes

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:22:21 +0000

A crash interrupts the noisy debate we have been engaging in. The monkeys outside our training room are trying to join us. This is my first training trip with the Brooke and it is certainly the first time I’ve ever had curious monkeys trying to join me in a workshop.

Saving sight in India's brick kilns

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:41:07 +0000

Dozens of chimneys rise in the flat countryside, belching out huge clouds of smoke. For what seems like miles all around acres of bricks lie drying in the sun

Saving sight in the slums of Delhi

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:48:41 +0000

I am in Gadhapuri, one of Delhi’s many suburbs and an endless crowded labyrinth of narrow streets, people and animals.

Many people here rely on horses and donkeys to navigate the confined streets which are too narrow to fit a car.

Feeding the Pyramid horses

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:07:16 +0000

Today was the end-result of three weeks organisation and preparation, the Brooke’s new feeding programme for horses and donkeys working around the Pyramids in Egypt.

I’m in Cairo, where the bulk of these horses are located learning for myself some of the issues they face. While there are tourists here, they are not arriving in the numbers they were before the revolution. This has affected the amount of money their owners receive and has, in many cases, resulted in poor body condition and other welfare issues for their animals.

Taking to the streets of Limuru

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:29:51 +0000

A sunny afternoon at last follows a foggy, soggy morning and full British breakfast, which also includes Weetabix. Today the training continues with theory in the morning and a practical seesion later in the afternoon.

World Equine Veterinary Congress

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:26:03 +0000

WEVA held its 12th Congress this November in Hyderabad in India, The Congress is held every 2 years in different countries and is traditionally aimed at performance horse/sports horse practitioners worldwide. This year however, it also included a 2 day stream on welfare and working horses.

The donkeys are in charge here

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:31:18 +0000

Kenya is in and out of the news for many reasons, such as the recent severe drought, but the Brooke is always here to help donkeys.

It is the rainy season in Kenya and, believe me, it chucks it down but that doesn’t stop the farmers and donkeys from working.

A fair to remember

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:14:27 +0000

Fairs in India remind me of colourful decor, attractively set shops, eateries, swings, shopping and lots of fun. So the idea of visiting Dewa equine fair in Barabanki District of Uttar Pradesh was irresistible. The Dewa Fair, which attracts pilgrims and visitors from all parts of the country to the mausoleum of the great Saint Haji Waris Ali Shah, comes into full swing in the month of October.

Equine deals on wheels

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:52:38 +0000

On my way to the Brooke clinic in Lahore to catch-up with an equine owner and one of Brooke vets, I saw a rather unusual sight by the road.

World Animal Day in Ethiopia

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:45:52 +0100

It is the eve of World Animal Week and Brooke Ethiopia’s Butajira district’s staff is busy making sure things are in order.

A night to remember

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:19:37 +0100

“Honour, indeed, we owed to those lost, neglected ones, those who toiled in our wagons, those who galloped our guns” wrote poet Will Ogilvie in 1934 after Dorothy Brooke began her campaign of helping former warhorses in Egypt.

Tales from the town at the "end of the road."

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:40:20 +0100

I’m trying something new. I want to try and capture a real sense of today in the field: so, I’m typing as we wind our way back along mountains roads....We’re heading back towards Pokhara, a town in the Himalayas in Nepal. Dusk is falling, and as we approach corners, or people on the road, the driver flashes his lights...

Behind the story of Star of Beauty

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:48:22 +0100

My uncle served with the North Somerset Yeomanry, taking horses to Palestine during the Second World War. One of his greatest sorrows was the disbanding of the

cavalry and the dispersal of the horses.

Calling on the experts

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 11:51:35 +0100

The livelihoods event is going brilliantly, with lots of questions and some excellent presentations.

A call for prayer and donkey welfare

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 10:21:59 +0100

There are 191,664 donkeys in Mandera. They plough, carry water and firewood and transport produce to market. Because of their low status, donkeys are often overloaded, neglected or mistreated. Donkey owners here are often squeezed out of pastoralism as a result of drought. They want to get the most out of their donkeys to earn enough money to live on. However, the poor physical condition of their donkeys makes them unable to realise their economic potential.

The mares of Neb Sarai

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:57:18 +0100

Fairly new to my job at the Brooke, I soon heard of people and horses galloping down the roads of Delhi with carts laden with vegetables. I was slightly incredulous, especially when the stories emanate from Neb Sarai Village, one of the city’s wealthier suburbs. So I set out to find out more.

Shino's struggle for life

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:48:37 +0100

Three days ago, in the morning on my way to the Brooke clinic I received an emergency call concerning a very ill foal that had collapsed and needed urgent veterinary attention.

Changing fortunes in Hussainapur

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 12:19:36 +0100

Pale, wounded and worn-down packs of donkeys used to be a common sight in the village of Hussainapur in northern India. But now this is increasingly rare thanks to the work of the Brooke.

No joy ride

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:26:52 +0100

After 145 kilometres by train from Delhi, I reach Mathura the birthplace of Lord Krishna, perhaps the best known Hindu God. Another 60 kilometres drive by road leads me to the small area of Thulai in Hathras town, where every year about 8000 working equines and their owners and buyers congregate for the annual equine fair.

Donkeys carry the burden of drought

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:22:35 +0100

I’m visiting a livelihoods and donkey welfare project, jointly supported by the Brooke and Practical Action since 2006. This year it aims to improve the welfare of more than 45,000 donkeys in four areas.