Ann Widdecombe on her trip to Mauritania

Ann Widdecombe on her trip to Mauritania
SPANA ambassador, Ann Widdecombe, is raising awareness of the plight of the world’s working animals

Animals in countries such as Mauritania, one of the world’s poorest, often carry water for long distances and face gruelling conditions


Former politician and long-time SPANA ambassador Ann Widdecombe has been around the globe in recent years, highlighting the troubles faced by some of the world’s 200 million working animals.

Ann has worked with SPANA in countries such as Mauritania and Egypt and has witnessed first-hand the horrific conditions these donkeys, horses and other working animals face on a daily basis.

SPANA (the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad) operates veterinary centres and mobile clinics in places such as the capital of Mauritania, Nouakchott. Incredibly, despite its population of over one million people, the city has no water distribution system.

Instead, Nouakchott’s residents rely on 70,000 working donkeys, which have to collect and deliver water from a limited number of water points. Generally, they’ll transport up to 400 litres of water at a time to and from the city throughout the entire day. Essentially, day-to-day life in the capital depends on this vast workforce of animals.