As we speak, two hundred Bonaire asses are being considered for the trip of a lifetime; a one way ticket to Haiti. Few options are open to the poor beasties. They can stay on in the sunny Dutch Antilles, forage on the limited land-space, risk incurring the wrath of the locals, and while away some interesting days ducking bullets, avoiding poison or navigating hostile traffic. Or they can avail themselves the boat ride offered by the authorities and go to help rebuild Haiti. But the chances of them surviving once there is as about as remote as that of a snowball in the current New York summer heatwave. Actually, no one faces a rosy future in Haiti, large animals least of all.
So how does that concern Tobago? Cos the logistics are favourable for relocating those hapless donkeys here. The distance is shorter, hence the associated costs. There are other reasons to justify the idea but the big two leap to mind; Agriculture and Tourism. Granted agriculture is no longer a growing business, and the tourism as they say, has passed.
Nevertheless. One can just imagine the joy on Tobago farmers faces if a boatload of jackasses were to arrive in Scarborough in the near future. They’d prove invaluable to assist in garden chores, especially on steep hillsides where roads don’t go. They’d provide company for the lonely cocoa planter who couldn’t justify that expensive four-wheel-drive vehicle for a small holding.
Donkeys may even prove useful to the beach cleanup crews in times of heavy seaweed landings. Other enterprising souls, given the time, the inclination and the access to stock, may move on to offer donkey rides on various beaches or at village fairs. And if tourism were to enjoy a resurgence, the addition of donkeys to the trails up at the Main Ridge would only be a plus. It would also forestall the need for built pathways inside the rainforest.
Planning the renewed presence of the venerable ass on Tobago shores does require forethought admittedly but there have been other introduced species imported with less deliberation than it takes a rooster to dispense with foreplay. Goats are one such import. Goats are heavier on the natural environment than donkeys, indeed the latter may prove beneficial to farmers who keep goats, and need to bring home large bales of hand-cut fodder from far-off hillsides.
The window of opportunity to get the donkeys from Bonaire is a small one. Arrangements have already been made for that first shipment to Haiti. But if anyone in their right minds were to admit it, those poor animals are doomed. Things do not have to be that way though. So the first step may be the one concerned individuals take to protect the dumb innocent ass. Folks, Let’s keep our eyes on this sad situation.