The story of albino donkey 'Red Eyes' the donkey working in the brick ovens in Egypt had a serious cart accident: thanks to Safe Haven for Donkeys he made a full recovery

Working donkeys in brick kilns  are forced to carry bricks 12 hours or more a day. Now that Safe Haven for Donkeys  has vets there the donkeys get water and hay.  

Heavily injured working donkeys are often fed to lions in zoos. Not this donkey. not Red Eyes.Veterinarians working for Safe Haven for Donkeys help all donkeys injured, sick, lame, pregnant, whatever and are not fed alive to the lions. Euthanized with injections when necessary. 

Thank you, as always, for supporting our teams and the animals they care for every single day. Your support means that help is there when it’s needed most - often in the most challenging conditions. Next week, we’re looking forward to sharing news of an innovative new approach our Egypt brick kiln teams are hoping to introduce - enabling trained stockmen and handlers to provide first aid for simple wounds and minor treatments. It’s a simple idea, but one that could make a big difference, helping us extend our work to other kilns in desperate need. But today, I’d love to share a powerful story from Dr Shaaban - one that shows exactly what your kindness makes possible. Thank you so much again for all your support. I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend. Wendy Safe Haven UK Office An update from the brick kilns of Egypt In the brick kilns, injured donkeys receive treatment and care. But before you helped us launch our mobile vet teams there, the story was often very different. Donkeys that became badly injured were sometimes sold to traders and, heartbreakingly, could end up as feed for lions in zoos. This would have been the fate of an 11-year-old donkey known among handlers as “the donkey with the red eye.” But don't worry - our team were there to help. Despite his nickname, this albino donkey is highly valued - strong, fast and calm, and one of the most reliable working donkeys in the kiln. This donkey known as “red eye” had a hind limb lameness and a large wound from a donkey bite on his foreleg  But everything changed in an instant. After a serious cart accident, the donkey fell and was initially unable to stand. He was suffering from severe hind limb lameness and a large swelling around his hip. As if that wasn’t enough, he had also been in a fight with another donkey, leaving him with a deep, lacerated wound on his foreleg. Without urgent care his future would have been uncertain. But our team stepped in immediately.  Dr Shaaban removes damaged tissue from the wound. The wound was carefully cleaned, and dead tissue removed to allow healing to begin. Antibiotic ointment was applied, and the leg was re-bandaged regularly. As new, healthy tissue developed, the treatment was simplified to cleaning with saline and applying zinc ointment. He also received antibiotics to control infection, anti-inflammatory medication to reduce pain and swelling, tetanus protection, and intravenous fluids to support his recovery. A specialist treatment was used to reduce swelling and soft tissue damage. After treatment the donkey was soon feeling more comfortable and was back on his feet. Thanks to careful treatment and ongoing follow-up, this much-loved donkey made a full recovery. Today, he is back on his feet. His story could have ended very differently. But because of you, it didn’t. Thank You Erna  Your support helps us fund our mobile vet teams in Gaza, the West Bank, and Egypt, bringing vital veterinary treatment directly to working donkeys in desperate need. You are also helping to care for rescue donkeys at our sanctuaries in Israel and the West Bank, where they receive nutritious food, specialist care, and the safety of a forever home.  Thank you for caring for these gentle animals. Donate today The donkey made an amazing recovery - here you can see a close-up of the wound - it's fully healed, with only a small scar remaining. All thanks to your support. If you'd like to read previous updates of our work, please click here to visit out blog. You can also view today's update online by clicking here. Registered charity number 1083468

'Happy end' A hiker in New Zealand fell from a 55-meter waterfall ( 180-foot) in wild bush: rescuers evacuated the injured woman but had to leave her dog behind

 

In this photo relased by Precision Helicopters Ltd, Wayne Holmes collects Molly from the edge of a waterfall as his dog Bingo, bottom left, stands beside on the Arahura River on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Precision Helicopters Ltd via AP) The small dog is a rescue dog Bingo.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — When a hiker fell from a 55-meter (180-foot) waterfall in wild New Zealand bush, rescuers were forced to evacuate the badly hurt woman without her dog, which couldn’t be found. After strangers raised thousands of dollars for a search, border collie Molly was flown to safety by a helicopter pilot who was determined to reunite pet and owner.

In this photo released by Precision Helicopters Ltd, Molly is reunited with her owner Jessica Johnston after her rescue from a waterfall on the Arahura River on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Precision Helicopters Ltd via AP)

A week earlier, an emergency rescue helicopter found the woman with bruises and lacerations after a fall at a rocky spot at the waterfall on the South Island’s West Coast. She was airlifted on March 24 but they were forced to leave without her pet.

Molly was bedraggled and hungry when she was found Tuesday, just a few meters from the spot where the hiker had been lucky to survive.

“I contacted her in hospital and said I’d go for a look for it,” said Matt Newton, the owner-operator of Precision Helicopters New Zealand, which is based at Hokitika Gorge near the Arahura River where Molly went missing. “I went and looked for the dog several times and no avail.”

Unwilling to give up, Newton and his family launched a fundraiser to pay for more flying hours and advanced search gear. Offers of help and donations poured in, with strangers pledging more than 11,000 New Zealand dollars ($6,300) for a search.

It was enough to fund three more hours in a helicopter using thermal imaging equipment. On Tuesday, Newton took to the skies with a veterinary nurse, volunteer searchers and a dog named Bingo in a renewed search for Molly.

“We struck jackpot within about an hour,” he said. “As we made our way up the river, we could see the dog in the thermal and then we could visually see it.”

In this photo relased by Precision Helicopters Ltd, Wayne Holmes collects Molly from the edge of a waterfall as his dog Bingo, bottom left, stands beside on the Arahura River on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Precision Helicopters Ltd via AP)

There had been no sign of Molly at the waterfall when Newton previously searched the spot, he said. It wasn’t clear if the dog had also fallen from the waterfall or if she had eventually made her way to the spot where her injured owner landed.

The helicopter dropped low enough for a volunteer to disembark with the rescue dog Bingo to help coax Molly to safety and keep her calm.

Newton thought the dog had survived by eating feral animals during her week in the wilderness.

“She knew what we were up to, I think,” he said. “She behaved real well. She didn’t run away and she was pleased to be rescued.”

The dog was in “surprisingly good condition,” the pilot said. He sent word back to the helicopter base, where other volunteers waited to take turns in the search. “Instead we just had a big barbecue and all had a cuddle with Molly.”

Hours after the dog’s rescue, her owner, still battered from her fall, arrived for a tearful reunion.

“I think that’ll speed up her healing process somewhat,” Newton said. “Having your dog back, that’s for sure.”

The smell was the first thing that struck 'We Animals' photo journalist Resha Juhari: exposing the animals within our food systems

https://weanimals.org/

INSIDE BALI'S UNREGULATED PIG SLAUGHTER

The face of a pig who stares out of a tiny metal cage, called a “blangsung”, at a slaughterhouse. Undisclosed location, Badung Regency, Bali, Indonesia, 2025. Resha Juhari / We Animals “It was horrible to see pigs being killed in such a way. They were beaten over the head with clubs, then their throats were slit. This was the first time I had seen it in person.” — Muhammad Fajri, photojournalist

The smell was the first thing that struck We Animals photojournalist Resha Juhari when he stepped into a roadside slaughterhouse in Bali, Indonesia. Even through a mask, the stench of urine and decay was overwhelming. A pig looked out from inside a metal cage, next to piles of intestines, blood, and butchered meat. The scene was not an isolated case. We were able to obtain unprecedented access to these facilities and took the opportunity to document what was inside. Across Bali’s Badung regency, photojournalists Resha Juhari and Muhammad Fajri visited eight small slaughterhouses. They documented conditions and practices inside facilities that appear to operate with little oversight, raising concerns about animal welfare, worker safety, and public health. For most consumers, slaughter remains out of sight. But as global concern grows around animal welfare, food safety, and environmental protection, the conditions documented in these facilities raise a difficult question: how much oversight exists behind the pork that reaches the table? We have shared these visuals with local NGOs advocating for change, and hope that our investigation will encourage authorities in Indonesia to consider implementing legal protections for animals. [Content warning: Contains confronting images and/or video footage]

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PHOTO OF THE MONTH

A jockey and a pair of yoked buffaloes begin a Kambala buffalo race. The jockey hits the animals with a bamboo cane to increase their speed and steers them with a plough handle. Loud vocalizations are made by the people present to urge the buffalo on. Mulki Kambala Track, Mulki, Karnataka, India, 2025. Manju N Gowda / FIAPO / We Animals

Good photographs transport us. This image, by Indian photojournalist Manju N Gowda, was captured at a 2025 Kambala buffalo race. A jockey and a yoked pair surge forward through water and mud. He strikes them with a bamboo cane to increase their speed, steering with a plough handle. Around them, spectators are yelling, cheering. We’re often told not to anthropomorphize. But here, it is difficult not to. In this frame, we are inside the chaos. We feel the water splash. We brace for the strike of the cane. There is no option but to run. Context Kambala is a traditional buffalo race rooted in the culture of the Tulu people in coastal Karnataka, India. Once held in paddy fields as village entertainment, it is now staged at large, sponsored events, often organized by local politicians and Kambala committees. This photo is part of a larger assignment done in partnership with FIAPO (Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations) to challenge the narrative that Kambala is a harmless cultural tradition and advocate for new state-level legislation.

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As our team continues to grow, we’re hiring a Director of Development.  This senior role will lead and grow our fundraising program, build meaningful donor relationships, and strengthen the systems that support our work. It’s both strategic and hands-on, shaping direction while leading day-to-day fundraising efforts. Deadline to apply: April 26

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TRANSFORMING THE WAY WE SEE AND TREAT AQUATIC LIFE

Celebrate World Aquatic Animal Day with us on April 3—join in person or online. At George Washington University, our founder, Jo-Anne McArthur, will deliver the keynote address at this year’s World Aquatic Animal Day. The theme: The Human Gaze: Impacts on Aquatic Animals. Alongside leading advocates Amy P. Wilson, Lori Marino, Randall Abate, and Kathy Hessler, the panel will explore how the fields of law, science, and photojournalism “see” aquatic animals, and what that means for their lives.

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A rescued red fox looks into the camera while The Fox Project (TFP) staff discuss her care. We Animals founder Jo-Anne McArthur visited TFP in Kent, UK in late 2025 to document their work. Jo-Anne McArthur / The Fox Project / We Animals