A British charity is fitting inflatable seatbelts to donkeys to help carry pregnant women in poor countries at the time of their delivery.
Mums-to-be in remote regions in the developing countries will be able to climb on the ‘donkey ambulances’ fitted with the inflated wrap-around saddles, reported the Sunday People newspaper, IRNA reported. Donkeys are still regularly used to transport pregnant women in several Third World countries. Many families across Africa do not have cars but many villages have access to a donkey, mule or horse to get to hospital. The saddles will cut down the risks of falling. The saddles made by charity SaddleAid in Anglesey, North Wales, have been tested on a Welsh donkey called Queenie to improve the inflatable safety gear.
They have already been trialed in Afghanistan and are set to be used for mums-to-be in Ethiopia next year.
