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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / The Impact of COVID-19 on the Working Equid Community: Respo...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2021; 11(5); 1363; doi: 10.3390/ani11051363

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Working Equid Community: Responses from 1530 Individuals Accessing NGO Support in 14 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic was declared on 11 March 2020. The working equid community includes some of the world's most marginalised people, who rely on animals for their daily lives and livelihoods. A cross-sectional study investigated the effects of COVID-19 on working equid communities, with the intention of developing methods for replication in future unprecedented events. A multi-language survey was developed, involving 38 predominantly closed questions, and carried out face-to-face, over telephone, or online. There were 1530 respondents from a population of individuals who received support from equid welfare projects across 14 low- or middle-income countries projects during November and December 2020. Overall, at the time of survey completion, 57% (875/1522) of respondents reported that their equids were working less, 76% (1130/1478) reported a decreased monthly income from equids, and 78% (1186/1519) reported a reduction in household income compared to pre-pandemic levels. Costs of equid upkeep remained the same for 58% (886/1519) of respondents and 68% (1034/1518) reported no change in the health of their equid. The potential long-term impacts on human and equid welfare due to reported financial insecurities necessitates monitoring. A One Welfare approach, involving collaboration with governments, humanitarian, and animal welfare non-governmental organisations is required to mitigate deep-rooted issues.
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Publication Date: 2021-05-11 PubMed ID: 34064832PubMed Central: PMC8151231DOI: 10.3390/ani11051363Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research investigates the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the “working equid community,” which consists of marginalized individuals across 14 low and middle-income countries who rely on animals, especially equids like horses, donkeys, and mules, for their livelihood. The vast majority of respondents reported decreases in their income and their equids’ workload, though the cost of equid upkeep and their health remained relatively unchanged. The findings suggest the need for an integrated approach with governments and NGOs to address deeper issues.

Introduction

  • The study focuses on the “working equid community,” which refers to people who rely on horses, donkeys, and mules for their livelihood. This community is generally made up of marginalized individuals living in low- or middle-income countries.
  • The researchers aimed to investigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on this community by conducting a cross-sectional study involving a multi-language survey.
  • The survey included 38 primarily closed questions and was conducted face-to-face, over the phone, or online. A total of 1530 people from 14 different countries participated.

Results

  • The majority of respondents reported that the pandemic had significantly impacted their income and the workload of their equids.
  • 57% of respondents said that their equids were working less due to the pandemic. Similarly, 76% reported a decrease in monthly income generated from their equids.
  • From a household perspective, 78% of the respondents noted that their income had also declined compared to pre-pandemic levels.
  • Despite this, 58% reported no changes in the costs of maintaining their equids, and 68% reported no changes in the health of their equids.

Conclusion

  • The capricious economic insecurity posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as evidenced by the survey’s results, suggests potential harm to both human welfare and equid health in the future.
  • To combat this, the researchers argue for a “One Welfare” approach. This involves collaboration among governments, humanitarian organizations, and animal welfare non-profit organizations, in order to more effectively and comprehensively address the problems highlighted by the study.

Cite This Article

APA
Wild I, Gedge A, Burridge J, Burford J. (2021). The Impact of COVID-19 on the Working Equid Community: Responses from 1530 Individuals Accessing NGO Support in 14 Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Animals (Basel), 11(5), 1363. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051363

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 5
PII: 1363

Researcher Affiliations

Wild, Isabella
  • World Horse Welfare, Anne Colvin House, Snetterton, Norwich NR16 2LR, UK.
Gedge, Amy
  • World Horse Welfare, Anne Colvin House, Snetterton, Norwich NR16 2LR, UK.
Burridge, Jessica
  • School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough LE12 5RD, UK.
Burford, John
  • School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough LE12 5RD, UK.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Grace DC, Diall O, Saville K, Warboys D, Ward P, Wild I, Perry BD. The Global Contributions of Working Equids to Sustainable Agriculture and Livelihoods in Agenda 2030.. Ecohealth 2022 Sep;19(3):342-353.
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  2. Quain A, Mullan S, Ward MP. Risk Factors Associated With Increased Ethically Challenging Situations Encountered by Veterinary Team Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic.. Front Vet Sci 2021;8:752388.
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