PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Working equids play a central role in mountainous communities, but their work often goes unnoticed by the wider world, with sparse documentation of their role, value, or welfare - a state which often extends to their human counterparts. Communities living in the remote Manaslu Valley, Nepal, face a number of uncertainties, including extreme weather events due to the seasonal monsoon and, more recently, the construction of a new road network. Using semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and Equine Assessment Research and Scoping (EARS) welfare assessments, we outline the specific role of pack mules in supporting the lives of local people, explain the nuanced links between human experience and mule welfare, and gain insight into how people living in this volatile environment manage uncertainty and risk. Mule work was felt to be the \'only option\' for a sustainable livelihood for most mule owners although, in some cases, mules had enabled respondents to diversify their income. Mule owners with more husbandry experience did not own mules in more positive behavioural states, which may suggest a lack of generational knowledge and support networks. Short-term ongoing risks, such as the monsoon or unstable tracks, had a larger impact both financially and emotionally than the long-term but distant implications of the road construction. Mule owners must constantly balance the risk of working during the monsoon season, when conditions are treacherous but pay was higher, with losing valuable income but keeping themselves and their mules safe; they do, however, have a more mobile option for employment than non-owners. Mules enable a level of resilience and agility for communities living with constant uncertainty and change, which is only beginning to be recognised formally within the sustainable development sphere. Integration of animal welfare into the SDGs would allow humanitarian aid initiatives to strengthen support networks around working equids, which would greatly benefit the mules and humans alike.
摘要：
工兵在山区社区中发挥着核心作用，但是他们的工作经常被更广阔的世界所忽视，用稀疏的文档记录他们的角色，值,或福利-一个经常延伸到人类同行的国家。生活在偏远的马纳斯卢谷的社区，尼泊尔,面对许多不确定因素，包括季节性季风引起的极端天气事件，最近,建设新的道路网。使用半结构化访谈，问卷，和马评估研究和范围界定(EARS)福利评估，我们概述了包骡子在支持当地人民生活方面的具体作用，解释人类经验和骡子福利之间的细微差别，并深入了解生活在这种动荡环境中的人们如何管理不确定性和风险。骡子工作被认为是大多数骡子主人可持续生计的“唯一选择”，尽管，在某些情况下,骡子使受访者能够实现收入多样化。拥有更多饲养经验的骡子主人并没有在更积极的行为状态下拥有骡子，这可能表明缺乏代际知识和支持网络。短期持续风险，例如季风或不稳定的轨道，在财务和情感上都比道路建设的长期但遥远的影响更大。骡子的主人必须不断平衡在季风季节工作的风险，当条件危险但工资较高时，失去宝贵的收入，但保持自己和骡子的安全；他们做到了，然而,与非业主相比，有更多的流动就业选择。Mules为生活在不断不确定性和变化中的社区提供了一定程度的弹性和敏捷性，才刚刚开始在可持续发展领域得到正式认可。将动物福利纳入可持续发展目标将使人道主义援助倡议能够加强围绕工作设备的支持网络。这将极大地有利于骡子和人类。
