A crisis in Egypt. PLEASE READ

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JadeWisc

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I have spent a few months following a FB page about a horse ( now three) who have been rescued in Cairo who are the product of what appears to be a crisis of starvation and neglect in Egypt. A lot of it was hard to watch and I really had to read ALL of the info written on the page to get the full story and come to an understanding (without judgement) of the people who owned the horses previously.

I am sure neglect and overworking has been a long standing issue for many horses/donkeys there but the recent revolution a lack of tourism appears to have made it far worse.


One things seems to stand out.... Where is the Brooke? I keep reading by some of the page members that they have contacted the Brooke on numerous occasions and they are still/no longer being given support? Some of them have even been blocked from the Brookes FB page and had their concerns/videos of the crisis deleted when they have raised questions?

It appears that the ESMA and ESAF along with a handful of dedicated volunteers are trying their best to feed and care for these animals by holding feeds and teaching clinics but they appear to have little resources themselves.


I cannot tell you in full or certain detail what exactly is going or who has/has not done what as I sit here in Wisconsin at my laptop but is there something we all should be looking into here? Something we can do to help? Questions we should be asking?

Tell me what you think by a few of these resources... BE WARNED SOME OF THESE IMAGES ARE UPSETTING AND GRAPHIC

a video on the subject:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUFUd...layer_embedded



The page of the three rescues who alerted me to this situation. This page was made to show the progress of the rescues and alert people to help the ESMA and ESAF to make sure more do not stay like this or wind up like this. Please be advised to read ALL info about these rescues before questioning/commenting. The horses have come a LONG way and have been given non stop care and have improved immensely. Susu is a very recent rescue.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Pr...98177013561449



The ESMA and ESEF who appear to be the only ones that I can tell that are adressing the crisis directly PLEASE CONSIDER A DONATION TO EITHER OF THEM and specify you would like it to be for the horses.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/esma.egypt

https://www.facebook.com/groups/7321.../#!/esaf.egypt
 
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I support SPANA,they do great work and react quickly to events.they have an emergency fund for occassions like this,please contact them and donate.then they can help.They recruit locals,so provide income,education and vet help.
 
I have been following esma on fb aswell and agree that the brooke appears to be nowhere in sight. Esma are doing a great job educating the egyptian horse owners and feeding,medicating the poor horses out there but they really do need donations in order to carry on this work. I have recently sent a message to marte on her fb asking if there's ways we can send over humane headcollars and fly fringes but have not had a reply as yet.
 
littlescallywag said:
I have been following esma on fb aswell and agree that the brooke appears to be nowhere in sight. Esma are doing a great job educating the egyptian horse owners and feeding,medicating the poor horses out there but they really do need donations in order to carry on this work. I have recently sent a message to marte on her fb asking if there's ways we can send over humane headcollars and fly fringes but have not had a reply as yet.
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I did the same last month and was able to send over a box full of Ivermectin.

It seems that it is difficult to send items directly to Egypt ( a customs issue?) but there are other ways to do so.

Try messaging her again because I think she just got home and she will know just how to do it all. Maybe contact the ESMA too and see what they say.


It also looks like they need saddle pads and ointments/wound care pretty badly too so I hope there is a practical way to send stuff.
 
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I've been following PFK and friends too, it's so sad to see the state these horses got into. I'm not sure how they're still alive tbh.

I don't know what we can do though, as you can't pay for feed for them forever, and while there's no tourist industry/ (or lacking) and the horses can't work, there's no money coming in. So, how can the circle be broken?

It awful, I really struggle to look through the pictures of the ESMA horse feeds.

It's also hard to buy a lot of stuff out there, and getting things through customs is a nightmare apparently. (I'm told the people working there aren't paid much, and demand a lot of back-handers to get things through)

I have a saddle sat in my tack room I want to donate to one of them, just to prevent the horrific saddle sores they get, but have no idea how to get it out there. :(

We can all make covers for the chain halters they use, which is a start. I will dig out the link. Unfortunately chain is the material of choice, and you can imagine the consequences :(

J&C
 
If anyone on here reading is travelling there ( please do so as it sounds like they need the tourism) May I suggest leaving some room in your suitcase and letting us know?


I sent my stuff to Marte while she was abroad but I am sure there are still contacts and ways to send items. Let's just keep asking and maybe someone from the page will come on here and list details of how to do so in a practical manner.


I also read everything there is hard to find and outrageous in terms of cost. It still is a good idea to send cash donations to help supply the feeds though and suppliment things they must purchase there.
 
I am going to Egypt, Luxor in two weeks time. I will try and see what is really going on with the horse community while I am out there. This is my third visit to Luxor and the majority of the horses, though not kept to our standards don't seem tooo badly off.

The Egyptians do seem to really care about their horses, finding shade wherever possible and having feed with them. Water is available in lots of places for the horses.

My boy I know would die if he had to do what the Egyptian horses do, day to day. I know they can look underweight but if carrying any fat in that heat would be a disaster and the Arabs are not like ours. Most have both front legs coming out of the same hole. The carriage horses are kept out for long hours but what can the Egyptian do? They have families to feed and their reality is not ours, thank god.

Jane
 
Just to add, in some Luxor hotels they ask guests to donate unneeded sanitary pads as make ideal dressings for horses legs!
 
I've been following esma too. the photos from the feeds are hearbreaking. there was a mare with a new foal the other day - they were both just skeletons with skin on :-( And as for the wounds caused by ill-fitting tack....
Its Ramadan at the moment, so they're expecting some horrific stuff this week :-(
If i win the euromillions, I'll be out there in a flash and I'll take u all with me :-)
Id always thought very highly of the Brooke, so Im disappointed to hear how they've been
 
One of the page members (Wendy) will be coming on shortly to tell you more. She is having some internet connection problems right now and is unable to get on here via her phone.
 
I know it's hard when animals are suffering, but I believe the Brooke know more about the situation than anyone else (with some 80 years experience) and if you go to their website http://www.thebrookeegypt.org/updates you will be able to read about their work in Egypt.

It's great that ESAF are continuing their work here, but the work that the Brooke does goes far beyond simply feeding the horses, by educating and trying to influence attitudes which are very different to ours.
 
Just donated. Can't think of any better way to spend a few £ (or $ but if you use paypal I think they are quite efficient at converting it).

Good luck to everyone trying to help out there, I really admire you for your strength of character and diligence. It can't be easy.
 
Terrible to see this. I agree about supporting SPANA I have been following what is going on and back in April I emailed Brooke (I GAYE them money through work) when I heard they had stopped the support.

Here is the reply they sent to me

"The Brooke assessed the situation carefully, and together with The Donkey Sanctuary and Egyptian Society for Animal Friends (ESAF), agreed that our emergency programme would come to an end on 21 April.



During the crisis the Brooke provided feed and treatment, as part of an emergency response. We also worked closely with owners to help ensure proper care for their animals.



The Brooke provided feed for horses, donkeys and mules affected by the collapse of the tourist industry in Cairo, Aswan, Edfu and Luxor. In total 90,000kg of feed was distributed and over 28,000 veterinary treatments carried out (between February and 21 April).



The decision to bring the emergency programme to an end is based on the improved tourism situation – whilst the industry has not yet fully recovered, the situation for these animals overall has stabilised. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism has stated that the tourists are starting to visit Egypt again, meaning animal owners are able to start earning an income again."
 
It is terribly sad to see the horses and camels so thin and suffering, not just in Egypt. Especially as we associate horses with riches.

The reality for these animals is what help is given in terms of money for food is spent on human food, they do not see animals as essential. Which is right. The children come first.

After a volunteer week in morocco, I carried on my donations despite knowing much of it is not utilised. These people can afford to feed their animals considering horses and camels need so little. It's the education what sickens me. There is very little despite what you see and very little CARE! There is no reason for these animals to suffer. I am very sorry but lots of intelligent a***oles overload poor donkeys for profit. Most live to about 12 yrs when they are then slaughtered to put in a curry for a party. I hated being looked at like a nobhead when I said this horse needs water. Lucky I knew some arabic and I said that he was betraying muhammad by treating his animals this way. He spat on me. I hate these people.

I was on water duty for tourist traps. These ponies/donkeys did not lie down for 22hrs. Yet we were put up in a big hotel where the barman had racing arabs which had a life of sheer luxury!
 
intouch said:
I know it's hard when animals are suffering, but I believe the Brooke know more about the situation than anyone else (with some 80 years experience) and if you go to their website http://www.thebrookeegypt.org/updates you will be able to read about their work in Egypt.

It's great that ESAF are continuing their work here, but the work that the Brooke does goes far beyond simply feeding the horses, by educating and trying to influence attitudes which are very different to ours.
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Maybe so In touch BUT as one equine owner stated he is a third generation owner of horses around the pyramids and right now its not education he needs its feed for his animals and for his family! Dont get me started on Brook! not only do they NOT turn up to the feed runs to assist ESMA and the horses needing medical care but they had left three donkeys in a skip of all things out the back of there clinic waiting to be shot! they are also taking all the glory (for want of a better word) of the feed runs, in fact one article was in horse and hound! EMSA are a small charity that are rescuing/feeding and caring for over 500 animals at anyone time! I have totally washed my hands of them, with all there money high profile they can afford to pay for at least a few feed runs, i am totally appalled with them and there behaviour towards the Cairo horses situation, the statements on there web site are untrue! They say the situation is ok now, well its NOT! The tourists are NOT visiting and those that do don’t want to ride around the pyramids on a Skelton of a horse! I don’t like the thought of these horses being used to carry tourists but right now these owners need help, they are turning up at the feed runs and accepting help! I for one have been doing a tiny amount to help bring in some funds to ESMA and the three fluffys being cared for by Marte and the boys at the stables, and i will shut till i am hoarse to get Brook to spend the millions they receive to help these horses! Dorothy Brook must be turning in her grave to see the charity she set up to HELP the horses in Cairo being so abused and the Brook not stepping in to help them. Education is a good way to go and it has many many benefits BUT they are not even there to do that!
 
Renvers said:
Terrible to see this. I agree about supporting SPANA I have been following what is going on and back in April I emailed Brooke (I GAYE them money through work) when I heard they had stopped the support.

Here is the reply they sent to me

"The Brooke assessed the situation carefully, and together with The Donkey Sanctuary and Egyptian Society for Animal Friends (ESAF), agreed that our emergency programme would come to an end on 21 April.



During the crisis the Brooke provided feed and treatment, as part of an emergency response. We also worked closely with owners to help ensure proper care for their animals.



The Brooke provided feed for horses, donkeys and mules affected by the collapse of the tourist industry in Cairo, Aswan, Edfu and Luxor. In total 90,000kg of feed was distributed and over 28,000 veterinary treatments carried out (between February and 21 April).



The decision to bring the emergency programme to an end is based on the improved tourism situation – whilst the industry has not yet fully recovered, the situation for these animals overall has stabilised. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism has stated that the tourists are starting to visit Egypt again, meaning animal owners are able to start earning an income again."
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RUBBISH! i talk to people LIVING in cairo and helping on the feed runs everyday! the photos speak for them selves..shame on Brook!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Hi everyone, I am the person that The Brooke blocked from their facebook page for asking awkward questions. months ago when we set up prince Fluufy Kareem facebook page we asked The Brooke why they stopped feeding and all us got the stock reply that tourism was on the increase and these people and horses could now fend for themselves. When even nationals like the Telegraph were reporting that tourism had fallen away completely because of all the fighting in Cairo we asked The Brooke again to help out (remember this is the wealthiest equine charity in the world) and again they gave us the tourism answer, however when confronted with printed proof that this was no longer the case The Brooke said the owners were bad owners who refuse to be educated by them. This is blatantly not true as ESMA and ESAF will testify, every week the owners and their young children work with ESMA and ESAF to try and help their horses, yes, they are still being ridden if locals will pay to ride them (the end of Ramadan will have seen a surge of riding activity sadly) as this is the only source of income with whihc to feed their families. Also if an animal has a 'bad' owner do we all turn away, we have all surely learnt by now that indifference kills...... Sadly my thoughts now are that this is not a situation that he Brooke can turn into a glossy before and after advert, that makes people jump for their credit card to donate. i am particularly upset that The Brooke happily took credit from ESMA in a recent article online by horse and Hound where donations were asked for to feed these horses, even though they had stopped helping to feed these poor horses months earlier. I am in London for the rest of today and have no internet at home so until I get reconnected or back into a cafe I will not be able to reply. Incidentally I emailed The Brooke about being blocked but have had no reply........
 
Does anyone have a direct link to donate money ? I can only access fb and this site through my phone at month and can't seem to find the link to donate :( , will contact marte again in a couple of days re getting headcollars and fly fringes sent out, if we can get a uk based person who's going out there I'm willing to add a bit of extra money just in case of customs or overweight luggage fee's.
 
Hi,

Marte will have only just got back to Cairo but if you want to donate to the horse feeds use ESMA or ESAF facebook page info tabs which has details links etc for doantions to help. ESMA also have 600 cats and dogs in their shelter at any given time, a lot of these from when all the foreign workers were air lifted out and they left their animals out on the streets............. its a horrendous situation over there :(
 
Hi, yes this is The Brookes first standard reply, its complete rubbish as there are NO tourists at all there now, all of which has been confirmed by national newspapers in this country, there is a second standard reply you will get if you push a bit more and after that you get silence and then like me, blocked from their facebook page so people dont read what you are asking......................
 
Those who want more info on how to donate funds:


Here is a direct link that takes to ESMAs "how to donate' page on FB
https://www.facebook.com/esma.egypt#!/esma.egypt.adoption?sk=app_167969729896883



Here is an article by Quest that touches further on the story and if you scroll to the bottom of the page there is very helpful info on how to best get monetary donations to ESAF. It seems Colins paypal link ( listed last) would be the best way for UK donators?

http://questequinewelfare.org/issuesprojects/esaf-a-the-pyramid-horses
 
The Brooke was recently made aware of a photo of 3 donkeys in distress. We cannot be sure exactly where the photo was taken, but we do believe it was several years ago. Analysis of the photograph shows no details indicating a date or time and it appears to have been cropped, making our investigations difficult.

We have encouraged the photographer to contact us and provide evidence of when and where the photo was taken so we can investigate further. All our staff adhere to strict codes of practice regarding good animal welfare. We are always concerned by incidents of animal neglect and will always investigate.

The Brooke’s work in Cairo

Following the Egyptian uprising the Brooke did increase its support in a number of sites across Egypt where we are already working all year round. Sadly some animals at the Pyramids were in a poor condition before the crisis and that is why we were already providing treatments in the area. We did provide free food for almost 3 months and believe that feeding can be a valuable emergency solution. Unfortunately, simply providing these animals with free food will not solve the problem. To go on providing a feeding programme is unsustainable in the long-term creating a dependency culture, distorting local fodder prices and adversely affecting the ability of local farmers to sell their produce.

The Brooke’s programme aims to build owners ability and responsibility to look after their animals better, thus improving animal welfare in the long term. We respect that other organisations may wish to work differently. Together with mutual respect, we hope that everyone is able to focus their efforts, energies and resources on helping the animals which we are all here to serve.

In response to Wendy McComb, about the Horse and Hound article dated 8 July, the Brooke would like to clarify that we are not claiming credit from ESMA, nor have we done elsewhere. Reproduced here is what was written on the website.

"The Brooke equine welfare charity, working with The Donkey Sanctuary and the Egyptian Society for Animal Friends, has also been involved.

The Brooke's Head of Animal Welfare and Research, Karen Reed said: "We launched an emergency response programme for equines in Cairo, Edfu, Aswan and Luxor after the crisis. This ran until late April and more than 90,000kg of feed was distributed and more than 28,000 veterinary treatments were given."

She added: "Some animals remain in a poor state of health, particularly in the area of the Pyramids, and a mobile veterinary team visits the area twice weekly. We are also running a special six-month education programme to train owners in better equine care."

The Brooke worked together with ESAF and the Donkey Sanctuary during the feeding programme until 21 April. The first education workshop on 24 April was a joint event. On 30 April, ESAF stated that they were continuing their project with Brooke Hospital in the Pyramids area. Therefore it was reasonable to believe that there was cooperation between the two organisations beyond the 21 April.

Statements relating to the Brooke that it is the wealthiest equine charity in the world and that owners were bad who refuse to be educated by us, are untrue. We ask people to stop making false allegations about us.

As we have stated in our Brooke Facebook page terms of use, we welcome all comments, questions, photos, videos, links and discussion relevant to the welfare of working horses, donkey and mules. We adhere to Facebooke’s Terms of Use and Code of Conduct and we expect others to do so too. While we appreciate concerns, we are doing our best to answer queries and find out accurate information. Regrettably, if users do not adhere to these terms, we have no choice but to remove them from our Facebook page.

See the Brooke's Facebook terms of use:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150287090872110

If anyone has a serious issue, please contact us directly at info@thebrooke.org providing us with all available information so we can investigate and respond better in person.

Many thanks.
 
Renvers said:
Terrible to see this. I agree about supporting SPANA I have been following what is going on and back in April I emailed Brooke (I GAYE them money through work) when I heard they had stopped the support.

Here is the reply they sent to me

"The Brooke assessed the situation carefully, and together with The Donkey Sanctuary and Egyptian Society for Animal Friends (ESAF), agreed that our emergency programme would come to an end on 21 April.



During the crisis the Brooke provided feed and treatment, as part of an emergency response. We also worked closely with owners to help ensure proper care for their animals. We have so much to be very grateful for.




The Brooke provided feed for horses, donkeys and mules affected by the collapse of the tourist industry in Cairo, Aswan, Edfu and Luxor. In total 90,000kg of feed was distributed and over 28,000 veterinary treatments carried out (between February and 21 April).



The decision to bring the emergency programme to an end is based on the improved tourism situation – whilst the industry has not yet fully recovered, the situation for these animals overall has stabilised. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism has stated that the tourists are starting to visit Egypt again, meaning animal owners are able to start earning an income again."
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My hubby and I donate monthly to the Brooke and ILPH. I believe they are right in their statement. You cannot continue to fund forever, otherwise it is taken for granted and expected. It's the same imo with many of these human famine crisis' - the root cause needs to be addressed and if it means a reduction in numbers of animals or human births then that is the correct equilibrium for future security.

It is horrific to see horses starving and suffering, but one needs to remember that the people are starving and suffering too and we cannot compare ours and our equines lives with these cases. Young people in Egypt think nothing of working a 16 hour day for a pittance, so similarly as much is expected of their animals.
 
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Hi, I have just logged on at friends house as am waiting for my internet to be fixed into my house... when it is fixed I will copy and paste the email The Brooke sent me that states about 'bad' owners and will also have dates and times whereby the Brooke failed to turn up with their mobile clinics... the sheer arrogance of The Brooke astounds me, they do this to us all the time, just railroad people with the SAME statement again and again... Lyndas picture was NOT cropped, this is The Brooke trying to insinuate that it was faked, they have already replied in detail about he donkey picture a week before the comment on here so why be so vague now, they dont make sense. Also, yes, we agree that you cannot keep feeding people/animals in crisis (although we dont just let people die to weed out the weakest do we!!!) however Egypt is in crisis through war and unrest, not because there is a famine!!! There were adequate resources before the troubles and there will be when everything settles down again.
Also, google the Brooke and most articles will tell you that they are the wealthiest equine charity in the world, we are not just making things up..... poor Lady Dorothy, her legacy is not even part of The Brookes ethos anymore, sadly I feel they only look for glory projects these days, so they can get great before and after pictures for PR and press and of course to keep the money rolling in... thats NOT what animal rescue is all about Brooke, its about helping all animals, remember that??? Animals have no voice to plead for help they rely on the goodness of our hearts to step forward and save them.... sadly The Brooke is ignoring the saddest horses on the own doorstep...SHAME ON YOU
 
Hope this picture shows up........... Mare and foal from latest ESMA horse feed in Cairo, how can The Brooke say that due to the economy etc they refuse to help these poor animals, shame on you..............

Damn it didnt show up ... I just read The Brookes reply again and they are still spouting the same old rubbish about tourism picking up IT ISN'T AS ANY FOOL WHO WATCHES THE NEWS EVERY DAY CAN TELL......

"The decision to bring the emergency programme to an end is based on the improved tourism situation – whilst the industry has not yet fully recovered, the situation for these animals overall has stabilised. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism has stated that the tourists are starting to visit Egypt again, meaning animal owners are able to start earning an income again."

they have got to be kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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WendyMc - I hope all is well. I am still awaiting to get some donations in place for PFK. I just hope that with the info which I have gleaned over the passed month or so ie enough to get some good donations across. I have been speaking to some friends in the military here to see if there is a BFPO address in Egypt for things to be sent to. So far I am coming back with blanks. I don't suppose anyone on HHO would know if there are any BFPO's in Egypt? One of the biggest problems for the PFK team and the other charities is that if we send tack, vet supplies etc. it is more than likely to not end up where it is supposed to be going. Also money sent can get held up due to Egyptian laws about accessing donations. (Wendy - you'll know more about this than me!). I think Marte and the PFK team have done an amazing job. What we have to remember here in the West is that the people who own these horses at present cannot feed their families therefore their horses, dogs etc will be way down the pecking list. It is VERY different there to what we can imagine. The horse, dog and cat owners alike do need re-educating into animal husbandry, fitting of equipment etc etc. I do not see why this cannot be done for children of the ages of 5 and above. Taking a horse or dog to local schools or community centres and showing them about basic wound treatment, correct care et al. I know that the children I have come across in the UK and Aus love nothing more than learing and more so nearly all children love animals. In doing this you are making a change where they will bring it up with them, educate their children and be able to show their parents a "better" way of looking after their animals. Just a thought and a project I would love to be able to do. BUT it all comes back to money...... I would have to pay someone here to look after my animals, have enough money to pay to rent a house in Egypt, India or wherever, living expenses etc. Anyway I think the important thing at the moment is to help Marte and PFK and to keep these feeding days which also include basic wound treatments as well.
 
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