Film shines a light on donkeys’ plight
Actor and animal welfare campaigner Peter Egan has teamed up with an award-winning filmmaker to highlight the plight of abused donkeys in Egypt.
The Downton Abbey and After Life star travelled to Egypt with director Andrew Telling to reveal the neglect suffered by donkeys working in brick kilns.
Forced to drag heavy loads of bricks into the kilns, they are whipped by workers if they slow down.
As soon as Peter and Andrew arrived last October, they saw the heartbreaking sight of a donkey collapsed in the dirt. “I thought the animal was dead,” says Peter. “Moving closer, I could see his breathing was shallow – but only just.”
Although the scene was distressing, it also allowed the campaigners to see up close the impact a British charity is having on the ground.
A locally based team from Safe Haven for Donkeys helped the donkey to its feet, before leading him to a shaded area where vet Dr Shaaban could administer treatment including a saline drip, anti-inflammatory drugs and vitamins.
Peter adds: “Dr Shaaban was only happy when the donkey urinated, showing he was beginning to turn a corner. I felt huge relief at this point.”
Safe Haven for Donkeys works on the ground in the brick kilns, which produce more than 130,000 bricks a day in stifling heat. A key part of its work is helping the community understand how to treat the donkeys, and Peter says there has been progress.
“It is punishing work for the humans and the animals,” he says. “What is very clear is when you see men who work to a punishing physical schedule, they are not going to be too sympathetic to the needs of an animal.
“I was interested to see, however, that the kiln owner and the workers were open to the changes to welfare Safe Haven is introducing into the workplace. I felt there was an interest in compassion which is hard to adapt to when their lives are personally so hard.”
See how you can help at safehaven4donkeys.org/egypt. Watch the film at youtube. com/@safehaven4donkeys