A New Framework for Assessing Equid Welfare: A Case Study of Working Equids in Nepalese Brick Kilns.
Authors: Norris Stuart L, Kubasiewicz Laura M, Watson Tamlin L, Little Holly A, Yadav Atish K, Thapa Sajana, Raw Zoe, Burden Faith A
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Working equids in low- and middle-income countries often operate under conditions that receive minimal welfare scrutiny, yet they remain vital to community survival and economic activity. This 2020 study employed two validated assessment frameworks—the Equid Assessment, Research and Scoping (EARS) tool paired with the Welfare Aggregation and Guidance (WAG) tool—to systematically evaluate the health, behaviour, nutrition, and working conditions of donkeys, mules, and horses labouring in Nepalese brick kilns, with assessments conducted by trained staff between December 2018 and April 2019. Key welfare deficits emerged across multiple domains: inadequate access to clean water during both work and stabling, failure to remove heavy equipment during rest periods, insufficient shade provision, and substandard housing that prevented adequate recovery between working days. Beyond physical management issues, the research identified handler attitudes and practices as significant barriers to welfare improvement, suggesting that technical infrastructure changes alone would prove insufficient without concurrent education and behaviour change. The authors propose that the EARS and WAG frameworks offer equine professionals and welfare organisations a structured methodology not only for identifying specific welfare concerns in working equid populations, but also for establishing baseline measurements against which training programmes and handler education initiatives can be rigorously evaluated for effectiveness—a critical consideration for practitioners designing welfare interventions in resource-limited settings.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •If working with equids in resource-limited settings, prioritize clean water access as a foundational welfare requirement both during work and stabling periods
- •Implement basic management changes (removing equipment, providing shade, improving shelter) that can be adopted immediately by owners with minimal cost
- •Use structured assessment tools like EARS/WAG to identify specific welfare concerns and monitor the impact of handler education programs over time
Key Findings
- •Working equids in Nepalese brick kilns lack adequate access to clean water during work and rest periods
- •Equipment is not removed during rest periods and shade provision is inadequate, limiting recovery time
- •Housing conditions are insufficient for equids to rest and recuperate between work shifts
- •Handler and owner attitudes and practices towards equid welfare require improvement through targeted training programs