Donkey Count

Majuran and his team of donkey-chasing youngsters have recently been sighted in Mannar Town terrorizing all manner of donkey these past few days.  Not to be alarmed, it is a vital first step in our campaign to bring Mannar’s best known mascot, the donkey, back to health and prominence.

The locals think of them as menace, traffic hazard or just dangerous.  The outsider is mesmerized by this unique spectacle, dives for the camera and squeals with audible ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaaahs’ as the shutter clicks away at the sight of these cute animals.  Whether despised or desired, the donkey is a unique feature of this unique part of Sri Lanka and must be cared for at any cost.

The history of the donkey in Mannar is absolutely fascinating!  These attractive beasts of burden, scientifically identified as Equus africanus asinus, are considered the descendants of those introduced from Somalia by Arabian merchants many centuries and possibly millennia ago. They purportedly had a dual purpose, as pack animals particularly for the dhobi (clothes washer) fraternity and as the ancients’ answer to a can of Mortein, to discourage the coconut beetle, the nemesis of the coconut plantations.  Their insect repellent qualities also spawned two schools of thought, one, that the donkey’s high-pitched ‘hee haw’ bray drove away the beetle, and two, that their dung attracted the pest away from the young shoots.  Whatever the truth, alas donkeys serve no such useful purpose today, hence their feral and neglected state.

The Donkey Census Project was born out of a mutual desire by Visakha Tillekeratne, a rabid animal lover, and I, who had fallen hopelessly in love with these gorgeous beasts, to do something to save these creatures from a diet of plastic bags, open sores and broken legs.  Visakha contacted Indian-based organisation, Animal SOS and the local vet to get their support while I liaised with a bunch of local youngsters to undertake a donkey census, the prerequisite for Animal SOS getting involved.

Kamal and Majuran dissected a Mannar Urban Council map into nine zones.  A trial was held to determine the best counting strategy and the project kicked off.  What a spectacle as small groups of young people were seen chasing donkeys through flooded roads, open fields and restrictive lanes, armed with a can of spray paint and paper to document their tally.  A spray paint tag on the back of each donkey meant that they would not be counted a second time.  All up, some 350 donkeys were counted in this urban precinct.  They were by far the unhealthiest.  The wilder herds in more far-flung areas of Mannar District would be safe for now from these young, energetic graffiti artists!

Majuran is currently writing up a report which will be duly forwarded to our partner organisations.  The plan is to first micro-chip the donkeys’ ears to more efficiently track their movements, tend to their health needs and follow up with a proper management plan for Mannar’s most famous mascots.

Another unusual project for Diaspora Lanka!