The donkey museum

We have departed the shores of Morocco after 18 days of exploring 5 cities, all very different from one another in infrastructure and purpose, but all with the same wonderful people. We’re going to miss the friendliness and the safety of that culture very much.

One last experience to share: the Donkey 🫏 Museum in Tangier. It consists of a couple of rooms at the top of an inevitably steep staircase. There are murals, drawings, photographs, books, artwork, T shirts and posters, all in honour of that much maligned and hardworking animal.

Of special interest to us was Abdul, the passionate and devoted educator who staffs the place and who is working to change the culture of Moroccans toward all domestic animals, most particularly the donkey, but also caged birds and small turtles that are kept as pets, and, hopefully, dogs, as well.

His nonprofit group goes into schools and does workshops for children to educate them about the importance of animals and the environment. He and his colleagues use art to engage the children while teaching them empathy and responsibility.

Their brochure has a lovely story about Don Quixote’s servant who loves his donkey, Dapple,  and treats him with respect, an unusual portrayal in literature. The book describes the donkey as a reflection of its master, a loyal and hardworking servant who ”is only what he is, and that is considered a virtue - just being who you are.”

Howard and I were so sad to see the dogs in Tangier, mangy and lonely. When they got eye contact with us, they would wag their tails expectantly, but we never petted them. We were warned not to, and I remembered the Guardian article about the British tourist who died of rabies after trying to befriend a dog on her visit to Morocco.

Abdul is optimistic that attitudes will change. He said to us on our departure, “When the people are treated better in Morocco, then they will treat the animals better.”

Since we’ve arrived in Cadiz, we’ve seen so many dogs with their owners. They have leashes and toys, and they seem very happy. There are no cats here, though, and I miss them a lot.