re: Santorini Donkeys

I've been telling people for 22 years not to ride the donkeys. Over the years I've seen many examples of their mistreatment and abuse. I support any efforts to help them and I applaud the efforts of those who actively advocate on their behalf.

But it's a complex problem. Do you want to make destitute the donkey men and their families? The simplistic response is to blame them and say they get what they deserve, but the reality is that these men know no other path but the one they have followed for generations. There are no programs extant to retrain them vocationally. Any efforts to eliminate the donkey's role in tourism needs to be tempered with compassion and concern for the livlihood of those who depend on them for their daily bread. Otherwise one form of abuse will just be substituted with another.

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