Working animals such as ­horses, donkeys and camels are fundamental in supporting

the livelihoods of the world’s poorest people.

More than 200 million ­working animals do the jobs of trucks, tractors and taxis, helping to provide a small income for one billion people in developing countries worldwide. But this vast global workforce is largely unknown and ignored.

It is easy to forget that these animals played a key part in our own history, even for large parts of the last century. Today, 40 per cent of people in the UK do not even know what a working animal is, but – from cart and plough horses to pit ponies – they were a familiar sight in the streets, fields and workplaces of Britain for centuries.

Many working animals ­currently endure hard lives and very few have access to the veterinary care they desperately need when they are sick or injured. These invisible heroes need our help.

Which is why I’m asking everyone to back Spana’s – the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad – International Working Animal Day on June 15. We need to recognise the massive contribution of ­working animals and ensure they get the veterinary treatment, respect and compassion they deserve.

Visit spana.org/iwad.

Geoffrey Dennis

chief executive

Spana