The prime objective of the research was to assess the overall patterns of use, treatment, and well-being issues of working animals in
Siraro woreda, west Arsi zone, paying much attention to the behavioral aspects of the equine owners than the animals themselves. Both
quantitative and qualitative data were collected using small-scale survey, in-depth interview, and observation methods from research
participants systematically selected through judgmental/availability sampling technique. The collected quantitative data were analyzed
using improved quantitative data analyzing instrument mainly SPSS version 20 where frequency tables, cross-tabs, and percentages
were applied for data presentation. And qualitative data were transcribed, organized and analyzed according the themes identifi ed and
presented in a narrative manner. Major factors affecting working animals’ welfare, such as in- ability to commonly use harnesses/yokes
while loading the animals, absence of separate shelter built for the equines, failure of allocating suffi cient resting time after loading,
inadequacy of fodder, failure to take diseased/injured animals to the nearby veterinary clinic for treatment, have been found in the study
area. The belief that equines such as donkeys never tire whatever amount of hours we let them work has also been found to be the
widely held cultural value in the study area, potentially affecting the way people handle and care for their working animals. There is a need
to develop a well-articulated national policy and legal frameworks that specifi cally deal with the protection and maintenance of equine
welfare. In addition, the media should play awareness creation and mobilization role.
METHODS: Survey: Survey of a small scale type has been used in the study
to help the researcher obtain quantitative data pertaining to basic
background information of the research participants, to identify
determinants of “proper use”/abuse of the equines, and legal and
organizational interventions in maintaining equine welfare in the
area. Specifi cally for this purpose, questionnaire was designed and
disseminated to a total of 50 scientifi cally drawn samples of equine
owners.
Survey method is indeed not the major method of the research;
instead it was used to complement the data collected through
qualitative research tools specifi cally, in-depth interview and FGDs,
which were the principal methods, used in the study. According
to taking a minimum of 30 respondents is needed if the aim of
incorporating statistical data is just to support the qualitative research
(14).
Th e questionnaire has been interviewer-administered by its
nature given the fact that majority of respondents were expected
to be uneducated/ less educated. Maximum eff ort was made by the
researcher in order to get 100% response rate.
