Community policing officers have raised alarm over the high number of poor breed donkeys who have now flocked to Lamu.
The concern is that these breeds could easily affect the reproduction of the original native Lamu donkey as they continue to interbreed.
Lamu county director for Livestock Jamila Mitsanze says the foreign breeds have been observed to be vulnerable to disease, are weak and are unable to withstand long working hours compared to the native donkey whose prowess is limitless.
Of the entire Swahili coast, Lamu has the highest number of donkeys making over 90 per cent of the entire animal population reared in the region.
While donkeys in many parts of Kenya have to transport cargo on attached carriages, the native Lamu donkey is resilient and is known to easily carry cargo directly on their backs regardless of the weight and distance to be covered.
Mitsanze however warned that to escape the high cost of the native donkey, residents risk interfering with the original Lamu breed and introducing a less tolerant breed.
“They are trying to avoid the high cost but what they are doing when they buy these cheap poor breeds from Tana River and the likes is that they may lose the original Lamu breed to cross-breeding,” Mitsanze said.
The native Lamu donkey is an integral part of the Lamu cold town’s culture and heritage and thus tampering with the animal will hurt the heritage of the region.
The Lamu Old Town was listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2001 owing to its well-preserved ancient culture and heritage spanning decades.
This includes residents walking on foot and using donkeys as the main means of transport.
Mitanze said the uniquely bred Lamu donkeys have been a major tourist attraction to Lamu and thus need to be protected at all costs.
She urged residents to stick to breeding the native donkeys to retain their uniqueness.
“We worry that if this keeps up, the native donkey will run extinct. The poor breeds are so poor in terms of disease resistance and have been dying in flocks, they can’t survive climate change. They shouldn’t be allowed to interbreed,” Mitsanze said.
Donkey enthusiast Ahmed Bakari noted that native Lamu donkeys apart from their grit when transporting cargo and people, are also used to grace special occasions and most notably, the annual Lamu Maulid and cultural festivals held every January and November.
The foreign breeds as he explains, are unable to match up to the grit and prowess of the native breeds and must therefore not be allowed to thrive in Lamu.
The native breeds have stood the test of time and proved to be an essential part of the region’s story.
“Our celebrations are never complete without our donkeys. Compare these two breeds and you discover, the foreign breeds should have been bred in the first place because they are so weak,” Bakari said.
Donkey races are a must during the annual Maulid and Lamu cultural festivals and continue to be a major tourist attraction to these fetes.
During the events, donkey races form a unique part where winners are awarded cash, trophies and certificates.
There have been calls to sensitize the public on the need to hold on to and maintain the native Lamu donkey.
