The impact of COVID-19 on the working equid community: responses from 1530 individuals accessing NGO support in 14 low- and middle-income countries

Wild, Isabella, Gedge, Amy, Burridge, Jessica and Burford, John 2021. The impact of COVID-19 on the working equid community: responses from 1530 individuals accessing NGO support in 14 low- and middle-income countries. Animals 11 (5) , 1363. 10.3390/ani11051363

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic was declared on 11 March 2020. The working equid community includes some of the world’s most marginalised people, who rely on animals for their daily lives and livelihoods. A cross-sectional study investigated the effects of COVID-19 on working equid communities, with the intention of developing methods for replication in future unprecedented events. A multi-language survey was developed, involving 38 predominantly closed questions, and carried out face-to-face, over telephone, or online. There were 1530 respondents from a population of individuals who received support from equid welfare projects across 14 low- or middle-income countries projects during November and December 2020. Overall, at the time of survey completion, 57% (875/1522) of respondents reported that their equids were working less, 76% (1130/1478) reported a decreased monthly income from equids, and 78% (1186/1519) reported a reduction in household income compared to pre-pandemic levels. Costs of equid upkeep remained the same for 58% (886/1519) of respondents and 68% (1034/1518) reported no change in the health of their equid. The potential long-term impacts on human and equid welfare due to reported financial insecurities necessitates monitoring. A One Welfare approach, involving collaboration with governments, humanitarian, and animal welfare non-governmental organisations is required to mitigate deep-rooted issues.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Geography and Planning (GEOPL)
Publisher:	MDPI
ISSN:	2076-2615
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	28 January 2026
Date of Acceptance:	4 May 2021
Last Modified:	28 Jan 2026 12:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/184270

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