Big news – SPANA is now Working Animals International! 🎉
After careful consideration and collaboration with supporters, partners, colleagues and our founders’ family, we’re excited to announce that we have changed our name from SPANA to Working Animals International!
Our previous name, SPANA, has been a part of our story since 1923 and will always be an important part of who we are. But our new name, Working Animals International, helps us communicate our mission more clearly and reach more people who care about working animals as much as we do.
By making our mission easier to understand and recognise, we can grow our impact - reaching even more working animals and the communities that depend on them.
We’re still the same charity you know and trust, built on over 100 years of history, just with a brand new name.
We’re so excited for you to join us on this journey. Visit our new and improved website to find out more about this exciting new chapter: workinganimals.org
Every day, millions of donkeys, horses, mules, camels and oxen carry out essential work that often goes unnoticed. At Working Animals International, we are building a world where working animals are healthy, valued, and impossible to overlook. Please watch our new film, shot in Morocco, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and India, to support our work.
We're proud to announce that our new animal health and welfare centre in Tsholotsho, Zimbabwe, is officially open!
For years, our local partner has delivered mobile clinics in this rural area of Zimbabwe to support working donkeys and the families who rely on them. Now, with this new permanent centre, even more donkeys and their owners will be able to access crucial care and support.
The new centre includes a veterinary clinic, in-patient stables, exercise areas and a water trough for local working animals. There's also a community training building where workshops and harness-making groups will take place.
The centre will also welcome Promoting Animal Welfare & Sustainability (PAWS) Clubs, giving children the opportunity to learn about donkey welfare and the important role these animals play in their communities.
This milestone would not have been possible without the generosity of everyone who donated to our appeal last year. Thank you for helping to create lasting change for working animals and their communities in Zimbabwe.
Did you know that a simple doughnut bandage can mean the difference between a harness wound healing or getting much, much worse?
For working donkeys, horses and mules, harness wounds are an everyday risk. These loyal animals carry heavy loads and work long hours, often without access to proper equipment or veterinary care.
For just £10, our e-gift could help pay for 15 doughnut bandages, protecting wounds and helping donkeys on the road to recovery.
This World Donkey Day, send this gift to someone you love or treat it as your own act of kindness. Either way, you'll be making a real difference. Click the link in our bio to find out more!
From their expressive ears and unique braying sounds to their near 360-degree vision, there are plenty of reasons to admire donkeys. And across the world, millions of working donkeys also help support their communities every day by carrying goods, providing transport and helping people access essential resources.
This World Donkey Day we want to hear from you: what is your favourite thing about donkeys? Share your answer in the comments below!
Today is World Donkey Day, and we’re recognising the essential contribution millions of working donkeys make to their communities around the world.
There are an estimated 50.5 million donkeys globally, with 99% living in low and middle-income countries. Many of these animals work every day to help their communities access food, water, transport and earn a living. Yet, despite their essential role, their welfare can often be overlooked.
We work with a network of partners around the world to make sure that the needs of working donkeys and other animals are supported so they can live a healthy and valued life. In 2025, we provided 494,262 veterinary treatments to working donkeys and distributed 11,960 pieces of equipment to donkeys and their owners to prevent common issues such as harness wounds.
Alongside this veterinary support, we’re also working to create lasting change by increasing access to skills, knowledge and resources – as well as campaigning for policy change – to build a future where working animals and communities can thrive together.
A huge thank you to @deborahmeaden for sharing her support for our new name and our mission to transform the welfare of working animals across the world.
Deborah has supported our charity for many years, and we’re incredibly grateful that she continues to use her platform and influence to help spread the word about our work.
By reaching more people, we can continue to build a world where working animals are healthy and valued, communities are stronger and livelihoods are more secure.
Every day, working animals across the world play a critical role in farming - ploughing fields and harvesting crops, in place of tractors - and helping farmers grow food to keep their families and communities healthy.
For many, these animals are essential to earning a living and putting food on the table.
Watch our video to meet some of the farmers who rely on their working animals every day, and see how the support from Working Animals International and our partners help keep their animals healthy so they can continue supporting the people who depend on them.
Last week we announced the exciting news of our new name and logo, helping us to clearly communicate who we are and make an even greater impact on the lives of working animals. But there are some details you might not have noticed…
The new colours we’re using across our brand are inspired by the natural environments where so many working animals live and work every day. And, if you look closely, you’ll see the pattern, which is featured across many of our social media posts and our website, is made up of hoofprints. It’s to symbolise the countless journeys made by working animals every single day – often in some of the world’s harshest environments.
Every detail of our new brand was designed to ensure that working animals are truly seen and impossible to overlook.
A huge thank you and well done to supporters Minnie and Naomi who ran the London Marathon yesterday to raise money for Working Animals International!
Between them they raised an incredible £2,280 to help transform the welfare of working animals across the world.
Our team was there at the sidelines cheering them on and proudly showcasing our new brand to the thousands who attended the iconic event.
To celebrate our exciting new name and brand launch, we have partnered with FUJIFILM House of Photography to showcase the reality of working animals and their owners through the work of talented photographers from Morocco, India, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.
The exhibition is free and open to the public at the FUJIFILM House of Photography in Covent Garden (8-9 Long Acre, London, WC2E 9LH), until 26 April.
It’s a fantastic opportunity to enjoy some beautiful photography, while learning more about working animals across the world. We hope to see you there!
Excited to see a charity I’ve long supported has a new name. Working Animals International, formerly SPANA. The mission hasn’t changed, but the name now says it all.
Working animals are central to the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the world. Horses, donkeys, camels, oxen - they deserve far more attention than they get. This charity has spent years making sure they get it.
Give them a follow @workinganimalsorg
