This is true donkey love

“Stop cruelty to animals. Some of these domestic animals help us to put food on the table and we should treat them with love, affection and dignity.”

This is the message from Junior Mtileni of Tshikhudini village outside Musina, who is inseparable from his beloved donkey, named Jimmy. Junior was spotted taking a leisurely walk while holding his donkey along the R252 road between Musina and Masisi last Wednesday.

“I could rather lose anything than to part ways with this beautiful donkey of mine. Look at its beautiful skin. It does not have a scratch or scar because I take good care of it. I become very angry when I see people whipping and injuring their donkeys for no reason, because this amounts to serious cruelty to animals. We need to love these animals because they need our protection to survive,” he said proudly while brushing the skin of his donkey with his hand.

Junior said he had six donkeys, but the eight-year-old Jimmy was his favourite. “We are very close to each other, and no one can separate us. Jimmy is my best friend and I feel lonely when he is not around. All my donkeys do not have scars because I take good care of them. They help me to carry wood from the bush as well as water and other essentials that we need at home. At times, I charge a fee for my customers who want transport services here in our village. That is why I give my donkeys enough time to graze and rest, because they are an important part of our lives here at home.”

Unlike other donkeys that do not take a bath, Junior says when he takes his donkeys to drink water in the local river, he makes sure that Jimmy takes a bath too. “He enjoys the water and I make sure that I have soap to bath him at the river. That is why his skin is so fresh and shiny. I call upon other donkey owners to take good care of their donkeys, because they also deserve to be loved.”

Date:18 December 2020

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