Donkeys in North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Croatia
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DONKEYS IN NORTH MACEDONIA, BULGARIA AND CROATIA – ACTUAL SITUATION, NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND BUSINESS MODELS FOR NEW FUTURE Curriculum in donkey protection & donkey care Radka Vlaeva, Trakia University/Bioselena, Bulgaria Neven Ciganovic, Magare, Croatia Stoilko Apostolov, Bioselena, Bulgaria Skopje, Sofia, Ivanic Grad December 2019 1 This publication has been produced as intelectual output of the Project: 2018-1-MK01- KA202-047135 "New opportunity for rural development". This Project has been financed by EU within the ERAZMUS + Program, with support of National Agency for European Educational Programs and Mobility, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia 2 3 CONTENT: 1. ABOUT THE PROJECT ......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2. HISTORY, CURRENT SITUATION IN THE WORLD - WHY PRESERVATION OF DONKEYS IS IMPORTANT? ........................................................................................................................................... 6 3. PRESENTATION OF THE STATUS QUO IN NORTH MACEDONIA, BULGARIA AND CROATIA ............ 7 4. ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY, CARE, FEEDING, BUILDINGS ................................................................. 16 4.1. Differences between horses and donkeys. ................................................................................ 16 4.2. Understanding donkey behaviour .............................................................................................. 16 4.2.1. Factors that influence a donkey's behaviour ...................................................................... 16 4.3. DONKEY CARE ............................................................................................................................. 21 4.3.1 Stable and pasture management ......................................................................................... 21 4.3.2. Animal welfare and the “Five freedoms” ............................................................................ 22 4.3.3 Shelter .................................................................................................................................. 22 4.4. DONKEY HEALTH CARE ............................................................................................................... 23 4.4.1. Prevention – the best treatment ......................................................................................... 23 4.4.2. How to recognize if a donkey is felling unwell? .................................................................. 24 4.4.3. When to call a vet? .............................................................................................................. 24 4.4.4. Foot care .............................................................................................................................. 24 4.4.5. Grooming the donkey .......................................................................................................... 25 4.4.6. Estimating donkey’s age by examination of teeth .............................................................. 25 4.4.7. Nutrition of donkeys ............................................................................................................ 25 4.5 WHAT FARMERS NEED TO KNOW IF THEY WANT TO START BREEDING DONKEYS? ............. Error! Bookmark not defined. 5. MEASURES TO BE TAKEN IN ORDER TO KEEP DONKEYS IN BULGARIA, NORTH MACEDONIA AND CROATIA .................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 5.1 POLITICAL MEASURES (SUPPORT FROM THE STATE FOR THE CREATION OF BREEDING PROGRAMS, KEEPING A HERD BOOK, PAYMENT FOR THE OWNERS IN MEASURE 10 AGROECOLOGY) – THE GOOD EXAMPLE OF CROATIA .......................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 5.2. BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW DONKEYS PRODUCTS – EXAMPLE OF MAGARE FARM – CROATIA ................................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 5.2.1. History of donkey milk production .......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 5.2.2. Donkey milk preserves beauty and youth? ............................. Error! Bookmark not defined. 5.2.3. Donkey milk as a cure-all ......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 5.2.4. Requirements for the production of donkey milk ................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 5.2.5. Reproduction ........................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 4 5.2.6. Nutrition of donkeys for milk production ............................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 5.2.7. Feeding in the summer ............................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 5.2.8. Feeding in winter ..................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 5.2.9. Parasites control ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 5.2.10. Accommodation .................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 5.2.11. Parlors .................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 5.2.12. Dairy ...................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 5.2.13. Milk processing ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 6. FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. 7. References ..................................................................................................................................... 27 5 1. HISTORY, CURRENT SITUATION IN THE WORLD - WHY PRESERVATION OF DONKEYS IS IMPORTANT? Although it is known that, the domestic donkey originates from the African wild ass (Equus africanus) there is limited evidence for the domestication of that animal in the region of Africa. First records for domestication of donkeys were found in Egypt and were dated back to 4th millennium B.C. For a period of nearly 7000 years since its domestication, the donkey undergoes, a minimal evolutional change, and its use as a working animal remain its main purpose. For its wider use in man’s everyday life, the donkey spread all over the world. Historically the main use of donkeys was as a mean of transport and as a tracking animal. Donkeys were well used for many energy-requiring activities in mining, milling, and even in military. According to FAO, the number of donkeys world-wide in 2000 was 43,472 million and in 2006 it falls down to 41 million (Table. 1). Table 1. Distribution of donkeys in different regions of the world. Number of donkey % of world donkey Region breeds population (over 41 million) Africa 26 26,9 Asia 32 37,6 Europe/Caucasus 51 3,7 Latin America/Caribbean 24 19,9 Near and Middle East 47 11,8 North America 5 0,1 The largest donkey population was recorded in China – 11.000.000 donkeys, followed by Pakistan, Ethiopia and Mexico. Some authors believe that the number of donkeys worldwide is much larger than the reported in the official statistics. The distribution of donkeys in different regions shows significant difference. Greatest number of donkeys is reported in Asia, Africa and Latin America and the lowest number is observed in North America and Europe. It is interesting to point out that in the region of Europe and Caucasus the number of donkeys is not that big, but there is large diversity of breeds registered in that region, which probably is due to the fact that in Europe there is a well-developed identification system for Equidae. In 1995, the number of registered donkey breeds was 77 and in 2000, this number goes up to 97, and 8 years later in 2008 – 185 donkey breeds were reported. The growing number of registered donkey breeds is due to the efforts for description and registration of the donkeys in Europe. In the poor regions, the number of donkeys is significantly higher, but there are very few distinguished breeds, mostly those are local donkeys without affiliation to a certain breed. 6 We all know that the modern world does not need donkeys for their main purpose, as we know it – a working animal. However, donkeys are important and needed for the population in the poor regions of the world were having a donkey may mean an independence; having a donkey provides an access to fresh water and allows children to education or helps for farming that is more productive. In the developed countries, however the status of donkeys has a completely different dimension. They have no economic value, but are well used for recreation or as a companion animal; some of them are used for light agricultural work, or as a part of a completely new trend in donkey breeding – for dairy and meat production. Nevertheless, protection and conservation of the donkey is significant to avoid loss of biodiversity and genetic resources. The importance of donkeys needs to be considered not just as an agricultural animal or as an animal that need to be protected. It is an animal that is closely related with the population in the rural areas, an animal that is engaged with the folklore and the traditions of humans. Preserving the donkey, we preserve history, traditions and cultural values. 2. PRESENTATION OF THE STATUS QUO IN NORTH MACEDONIA, BULGARIA AND CROATIA The information about the number