To Amy McLean, nothing is more personally fulfilling than improving the livelihood of mistreated animals.
Growing up in a family that raised mules and donkeys, McLean, a Michigan State University doctoral student in the Department of Animal Science, developed a passion for understanding and interpreting animal behavior.
“It just makes me feel good knowing that I’m making a positive difference in an animal’s life,” she said.
This lifetime love and appreciation for animals, especially mules and donkeys, has led McLean to Mali, a country in western Africa, where she is working with a team of MSU colleagues to teach people there how to care for donkeys properly.
“Donkeys are an essential part of the Malian culture because they are needed for farming, transportation and other needs,” she said. “Without proper care and management, however, many of the donkeys end up being neglected, becoming weak and debilitated.”
McLean’s research work in Mali started in 2008 when she accepted a training grant from the USDA National Needs Graduate Fellowship Program to conduct international research. She linked up with the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad and traveled to Mali with its mobile clinic to treat about 1,000 donkeys in various areas of the country.
Mel Yokoyama, MSU animal science professor, and Brent Simpson, visiting associate professor with the MSU Institute of International Agriculture, accompanied McLean on the trip abroad.
Yokoyama said the visit opened their eyes to the differences in how donkeys were treated in various regions of the country, particularly in cities and farming areas. Many animals were frail from hauling loads beyond their capability, and, in some cases, the animals weren’t receiving proper nourishment.
The donkeys also were bruised from wearing improper harnesses. Others were scarred from being hit by sticks by their owners. (Malians use a stick to signal the animal to move in a certain direction.)
“This kind of treatment shortens a donkey’s life span and productivity,” Yokoyama said. “They just get broken down and become weak and debilitated. Ultimately, the owners abandon the animals.”
McLean eventually hopes to design a harness that uses a softer material such as cotton or canvas to replace the plastic that is currently used. Yokoyama said that donkeys in Mali may be ill treated because they are undervalued as a livestock species, even though Malians rely on donkeys to plant and harvest their crops and haul agricultural products to market.
“People don’t seem to appreciate the importance of donkeys in their daily lives,” he said.
McLean said she hopes the research she and her colleagues are conducting will eventually improve the lives of both the donkeys and families in Mali.
“Having a healthy donkey is actually a win-win for both the family and the donkey,” McLean said. “The donkey benefits by receiving better quality care all around, and the family benefits from having a strong, healthy donkey that can work more efficiently, which should result in more efficient farm labor and transportation to market to sell their products. By receiving higher quality care, the donkeys should also live longer and not have to be replaced as often.”
On average, donkeys cost up to $150 each, while draft oxen can cost $500 to $600. The average income in Mali is about $1 per day.
McLean and Yokoyama plan to return to Mali to continue their work to improve the care of donkeys there. They hope to receive more funding from animal welfare organizations so that they can implement a donkey training program for owners and students in Mali.