The wellbeing of a donkey that was painted in support of a Kenyan political party has been checked by Brooke.
In late September, Brian Murithi from Buuri Constituency, Kenya, painted his donkey with the colour and symbols of the Jubilee party and paraded it through Meru County to gather support for the re-election of President Uhuru.
The painted donkey in a campaign
Disturbing pictures of the stunt pulled by the twenty-four-year old student caught the attention of Brooke, an international charity dedicated to protecting the welfare of working horses, donkeys and mules.
Brooke East Africa intervened in support of the animal and visited Mr Murhiti to warn him about the dangerous consequences the paint could have on the donkey’s health.
Brian’s letter about Brooke East Africa’s visit
Brooke veterinarian James Kithuka said: “As an animal welfare charity we try to educate owners on the importance of caring for their horses and donkeys to ensure they live happy and healthy lives. The paint could have serious health implications and make the donkey ill.
“As soon as we heard the news we tracked down the owner to explain to him the harm he has caused to his animal and have shown him how to care for his donkey properly.”
Dr Kithuka has since gone back to visit the donkey for follow up checks to assess its health. He said: “I am pleased to report that the donkey is recovering well and slowly returning back to his natural colour.”
On his part, Mr Murithi apologised for his actions in a public letter and promised not to put his donkey through the ordeal again.
He wrote: “They have taken the time to explain the effects of my actions to the donkey’s welfare and have I understood and have apologised for the act. I will slowly take the donkey home.”
