Photos: A free clinic for donkeys, vital to Ethiopia’s economy | Poverty and Development News

Ethiopia is believed to host the world’s largest population of donkeys – one in five of the global total, according to the United Nations.

The humble donkey is a cornerstone of the national economy, and the Donkey Sanctuary – a free clinic run by a British charity – is crucial in Addis Ababa. Set near Merkato, the city’s sprawling open-air market, it provides care for animals that are often indispensable to their owners’ livelihoods.

Several dozen donkeys stand in enclosures at…