Veterinary Colleagues, Hosts and Volunteers

Veterinarians generally enjoy the camaraderie of fellow veterinarians. This was especially true on Tuesday when we met with Dr. Emna Brour from El Abassia (Kerkennah Island) and Dr. Ahlem Lahmar from Tataouine (yes, Star Wars fans, we mean the Tataouine). It was enlightening to share stories of veterinary medicine training and practice with an international flavor.

Veterinary colleagues: Emna, Jaber, Tricia and Ahlem

Each time we have the opportunity to talk about our donkey welfare project objectives with regional veterinarians, we are able to define more realistic actions. These two veterinarians expressed an interest in improving their equine dental and hoof care skills. We exchanged information about the different tools we use such as hoof knives, nippers and the toeing knife (the modern version of the butteris). We discussed challenges of restraining animals who are not used to having their hooves trimmed or having a speculum used for mouth examinations.  We also talked about how the demographics and attitudes of donkey owners can vary from community to community.  For example, on Kerkennah Island, the women are responsible for the donkeys because many of the men seek employment off the island.

Ahlem is a large animal private practice owner in Tataouine and is planning to host us next week to visit donkey owners in Tataouine and the surrounding areas. We look forward to making initial contacts with the community and are hopeful we can organize an event there soon. Emna has contacts with the community of donkey owners on Kerkennah Island and has offered a place for us to stay there as well as helping us organize a community event and volunteering her skills for a veterinary service event.

They are both hopeful they can join us for several community events and are interested in furthering donkey welfare in Tunisia.

Of course, the meeting would not be complete without a little Tunisian food !

Salad with Tuna

Seafood Pizza (including squid)