Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
I would like to make readers aware of a distressing situation which needs urgent attention. The current issues and unrest in Egypt have left many horses as innocent casualties.
Unfortunately they cannot speak out and say how they feel, that is left for others to do. These poor creatures are slowly starving to death as tourists stay away because of the troubles.
The animals rely on food from visitors, almost as much as their owners who look to tourism as a main source of income, income that means they can afford to keep their horses.
Horses are used for sightseeing trips around the region, but with no visitors there is no work and for these owners and feeding their families is a struggle, let alone their animals.
While the protests continue in Cairo, 25km away some horses are simply dropping dead with hunger, whilst the remainder stand weakly in the heat, their bones poking through their coats.
ESMA (The Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals) recently conducted a field trip to see the situation for itself. They took several photographs and interviewed locals and, most importantly, distributed food amongst the animals.
They inspected horses, and gave bucket of food specially designed for horses suffering from sever malnutrition; once the horse owner had signed up witht he organisation he was given an additional amount of food to keep the horse alive for a further two days.
After their food distribution the volunteers moved to the tourist area to see for themselves the ghost town, on the way to investigate what had been described as the graveyard ... they found a stable full of malnourished and sick horses, the owner said he had no money for food or treatment. It was a lucky day for him as he was told to go to the food distribution point for rations.
The graveyard was too much for many of the helpers because the sight of these creatures was so sad. They were greeted by the sorrowful sight of foals lying dead next to their mothers alongside the bodies of starved camels.
There are apparently some 3,000 horses and 500 camels in this area, and owners with no tourist income can no longer feed their animals or their families.
The group managed to feed some 450 horses that day. Though sadly, after the food had run out, some 500 horse and camel owners turned up at the stables looking for food for their animals, each owner with a minimum of two horses meant another 1,000 starving animals.
The EMSA has a website www.esmaegypt.org from which you can access the whole report, and see the distressing images that were taken on the trip.
Another animal charity that works closely with horses, donkeys and mules in Egypt is The Brooke. It also has a Facebook page and a website - www.thebrooke.org
An animal lover wrote to a kind horse owner friend of mine specifically to ask for assistance. This lady currently lives in Egypt and would ensure any help given would go towards food for these poor, hungry animals. If there is anyway anyone can help, even a little, please let me know.
