A 28-year-old man from Dobi Village in Matopo, Matabeleland South province
was arrested for abandoning his sick
donkey on the side of the road to recover all alone, in a case a local animal
rights organisation described as
“absolutely heartless”.
The case could, however, set a precedent for when and how
animals and advocacy organisations can bring cases before the court to help end
animal suffering.
Justin Maphosa has since appeared before Bulawayo
magistrate Maxwell charged with a crime of abandoning an injured animal as
defined in Section 3 (1) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act Chapter
9:09.
He was not asked to plead and was remanded out of custody
to 12 May on $20 000.
Allegations against Maphosa are that between the period 23
April and 27 April he abandoned his
injured donkey on the side of the road to recover all alone.
His callous acts were reportedly discovered by the director
of Matabeleland Animal Rescue and Equine Sanctuary (MARES) Claire Einhorn Julie
(59) following a tip-off from concerned villagers.
Claire reported the matter to the police and investigations
led to the arrest of Maphosa.
The rescued donkey is receiving treatment at MARES.
MARES in partnership with a United Kingdom-based organisation
— Society for the Protection of Animals (SPANA) once embarked on campaigns in
Matabeleland provinces in a bid to change people’s perceptions and teach them
how to care for their animals and the correct way of fitting harness without
hurting them.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe recently joined the rest of the world
in celebrating World Donkey Day on 8 May.
The day is dedicated to recognising the donkey and bringing
attention to its amazing characteristics.
All around the world, this animal has served as a beast of
burden and mount. It has survived and thrived even in areas with harsh climates
and tough terrains.
World Donkey Day was created by Ark Raziq, a scientist
whose focus is on desert animals. He realised that the hardworking donkey
wasn’t being recognised for its efforts in building our society.
He started creating a Facebook group talking about the
animal. In 2018, World Donkey Day was officially set up and it’s been
celebrated every year since. Its purpose is to spread information about donkeys
and how they impact human lives. B Metro
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