Our Animals' Angels team in Morocco visits the market in Skherat. The situation is more tense than usual: it is crowded and hectic, people are buying more than usual. The reason: there are rumours that the market is to be closed due to the Covid19 pandemic.
Our team – Ayoub and Boubaker – is helping the donkeys and horses waiting at the market for their owners. Some of the animals are already unhitched from their carts – others unfortunately are not. Boubaker and Ayoub free them from the heavy harnesses and organize water for the thirsty animals. In the process they meet an old friend: the donkey Hadi. As usual, Hadi's owner unsaddled him as soon as he arrived at the market. This way the donkey can at least recover a little from his hard work. Our team is pleased to note that the owner has also built a new harness for Hadi, which fits him much better than the old one. Maybe the conversations with our team have caused him to change his mind?
Today also the donkey Nassim is here again – he too has been unsaddled. Unfortunately the wound on his chest has still not healed. It is an open bruise from the badly fitting harness. Boubaker is treating the wound. But as long as the owner is not understanding and gives him a time-out, the wound will unfortunately not be able to heal properly. We hope that he will finally become as understanding as Hadi's owner.
Before Boubaker and Ayoub make their way home again, they clean, groom and pet Nassim and the other donkeys, who visibly enjoy the stroking.
At this point our team does not know yet that this will be the last visit to the market for the time being. A short time later, Morocco imposes a curfew throughout the country and closes all weekly markets until the end of April. We are in constant contact with our Moroccan team in order to keep a close eye on developments on the ground.
