ARUSHA-based animal welfare organization–Meru Animal Welfare Organization (MAWO) has embarked in awareness campaign to empower Maasai pastoralist communities in Simanjiro District with new skills on how to protect donkeys from theft.

In the campaign, people in the area have formed a community donkey security network—a platform for local communities to exchange notes on the security of the working animals in their localities.

“As MAWO we’ve established Donkey Security Network to connect all community by sharing information if they have any information of people from/out of community need stole their donkey,” said Johnson Lyimo who is the organization’s coordinator.

He said the campaign came after reports that a number of donkeys are being stolen in the district by people who suspected to have been taking the animals to Dodoma Region.

It is estimated that since January more than 2500 donkey have been stolen from the district which is mostly being inhabited by Maasai pastoralists.

The MAWO’s campaign is carried out in collaboration with local leaders.

“So we’ve been telling people to start keeping donkeys in shelters as it is to cattle. This will help to reduce theft incidences, which currently are on top gear,” Lyimo said.

He added: “We have been using different platforms including community-based radios such as Radio to cover more area and tell community to keep their donkeys in Boma as most of them stolen in night hours and outside the boma.”

 According to him, the organization will also continue educating the community to keep their donkey, which plays an imperative role when it comes to providing cheap transport for rural communities.

“We are working together with Community as they still need this animal for their daily life.”

Recently, Naberera villagers managed to seize 200 donkeys, which were enroute to Dodoma Region.

Parked in a Lorry, the donkeys were being stolen from different bomas of Simanjiro District

Another MAWO official Dr Dauson Katurisa said people in the area have been complaining of the decreasing number of donkeys in their localities due to theft.

“These people here are relying on donkey as their transport means. They use donkeys in transporting luggage, water for domestic use and crops from farms.”

Naberera village chairman, Jacob Korosi said that in the donkey theft incidences, some leaders are involved.

So far, he said that more than 2500 donkeys have been stolen in the district, which leads in northern Tanzania for having large number of donkeys.

Last year, the district had more than 30,000 donkeys.

Other districts include Longido, Mionduli, Ngorongoro and Arusha.
MAWO is a nonprofit animal-welfare organization working in the Northern region of Tanzania, which fights for these five freedoms of animals–Freedom from hunger and thirst, Freedom from discomfort, Freedom from pain, injury and disease, Freedom from fear and distress and Freedom to express normal behavior.

“Punda wetu maisha yetu “ The aim is to protect this animal to continue helping the community especial the women.