Animal Care In Luxor

Have you ever felt like your heart was going to break? That sensation when you see something you just can't imagine possible and you have no control over? That happened in the dusty back streets of Luxor, Egypt. Kim and her Aunt Julie, whilst on holiday, saw people struggling to feed their families and abusing their means to do so. Small underfed donkeys being beaten and suffering from neglect by owners who needed them so badly. What could be done?

Julie Wartenberg has always had a love for Egypt and strong interest in Egyptology, and kindly brought her Niece, Kim Taylor for various holidays to explore the country.

Kim Taylor was not really 'into' Egyptology, but was constantly looking at the condition of the working animals in the back streets of Luxor. So Kim and Julie devised a way to ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING about the things that they were seeing.

"In life we often see things that we would like to change, but to get the opportunity to totally change your life around and put your ideas into action is rare" ... Kim Taylor


Julie Wartenberg used her retirement package from IFAW as a set up cost for the new charity which enabled ACE to rent a small piece of land and build a washing area. As well as donating a large sum of her own money in towards the running costs in our first few years. Julie also worked tirelessly to organize all the paperwork needed to set up a charity in Egypt and the UK, along with relentlessly fundraising to ensure the future of ACE.

Why a washing area?
The one thing that stood out in Kim's mind amongst all the sad sights of Luxor was the saddle sores on the horses' and donkeys' backs. Most of the saddle sores are caused because dust, dirt and sweat accumulates under the tack, if it is washed off it will help to prevent the sores. Every day we told the owners of the horses and donkeys that their animals would be in a better condition with a little preventative care.

That was more than ten years ago and for the first few years Kim, who has been the Centre Manager, from the start, cried every day as she felt that, despite all the trying, ACE were getting nowhere.

Originally ACE was to be a preventative centre, but as we progressed we soon realised that, we needed to give a full Veterinary service also. For example, if a man came into ACE with an animal with a cut in its leg, this could and would not be sorted just by washing.

Julie and Kim wanted ACE to be more than a place where people could bring their horses and donkeys, for a roll in the sand pit, a shower and a drink of clean water. They wanted somewhere that could then offer a full check over by an out-patient vet so that problems could be identified, and proper treatment options made available by fully qualified vets.

These problems could then either be resolved in the out-patient clinic, or if necessary the animal could be admitted as an inpatient for treatment.

So now, ACE has a Veterinary Hospital which gives free veterinary care and treatment to all kinds of neglected and abused animals. ACE also runs an educational programme where up to 300 children a week come from local schools to learn that animals feel pain and should be treated with respect as they serve their human masters. ACE is doing all that we can to ensure better animal welfare standards in the future for all animals. But we need your help to continue …

ACE is an ever-growing, great team of professionals and volunteers all working towards the same goal - To relieve and prevent the suffering of the animals in Egypt.
To know more about animal care in Egypt click here