Baby Obama

30 June 2009

Tuesday I really just wanted to lounge by the pool all day.  But, Angela (my roommate) is a horse and animal lover, so she researched an agency that works as an animal shelter in Marrakesh.  Spana is a British-operated organization that has three major goals: 1.To care for animals that are sick and injured if their families cannot pay for it, 2. To serve as an adoption agency for the various animals that it treats, and 3. To educate both school children and animal owners that if they take better care of their animals, the animals will yield more money for them in the long run.  Angela and I fondly refer to Spana as “the donkey hospital” and I'm glad they have one here because there are more donkeys in this country than I have ever seen.  Largely, they are used and visualized as a beast of burden, carrying heavy loads and carts that people cannot carry themselves.  Donkeys are the minivans of Morocco, and a family will use their donkey for the same things that we in the United States use our family vehicles for. 

So, after waiting an hour for the tour guide who overslept and forgot that we were going, we headed off to the donkey hospital.  As we pulled up, a man was whipping his mule from the cart that it was towing behind it, and the animal’s bit was tight against the corners of its mouth.  The animal was unusually thin; its tongue was hanging out to the side, and its eyes looked as if the animal was in distress.  Unfortunately, this is commonplace for Moroccan animals.  Being a developing country, and largely third world, Morocco does not take care of its four-legged citizens as well as we do in the United States.  Basic survival needs are a priority rather than the health of the family’s pets.  I am often appalled at the way some of these animals look, but one thing that I learned from being in Cambodia, which is being reinforced here in Morocco, is that it is not fair to use my Western framework to conceptualize things in other countries.  I am constantly reminding myself to remember that things are just different here.

 Unfortunately, that man was not bringing his animal into Spana for treatment.  My naïveté led me to hope that the man would eventually take his animal there, because he was working in such close proximity to it, and it is a free service for families who cannot afford it.  For families that depend on their animals for their businesses and income, spending the day at the animal hospital is not always an option. 

We walked into Spana and there were three animals (a donkey and two mules) whose owners had brought them in for treatment.  The director and veterinarian, Boubker first guided us through the dog and cat shelter then into the museum that they built for the children’s educational program.  The donkeys bayed in the background and the horses were stirring in their stalls, and Angela commented, “I wonder what God was thinking when he gave donkeys their voices.”  Amen to that.  They were loud!  And if you think about it, their noise is awful.

We walked around to the donkeys and mules and visited various animals that were injured (mostly donkeys suffering from bites from other donkeys).  We met one who was the “Spana mascot” and she was so sweet and fat.  She had come there as an orphan.  She was a good girl and I called her over and she gummed my hand and my camera.  All the while, there is an obnoxious one vocalizing in the background.  Come to find out, there was a very good reason for all the racket.  When you’re a tiny baby and you’re being involuntarily weaned off of milk mixed with honey, you’re probably going to feel a little anxious and need to talk about it.  Obama was sitting expectantly in his stall waiting for snacks and attention and I melted immediately.  Boubker let him out of his pen and he jumped and kicked and skipped around.  He was literally the cutest thing I have ever seen. 

We played with him for at least half an hour and he followed us around like a puppy would.  When we weren’t paying attention to him he would nibble on a pocket or nuzzle you with his head.  Ohhhhhh!  He was just so cute!

After visiting Obama, we went back to the hotel and I laid by the pool for the rest of the afternoon.  Ahhhhhh!!!  It was soooo nice, and a good end to a great day.