An unforgettable lesson from Hengam’s donkies

Its name is Hengam. A beautiful island with exceptional coral banks that is less than 10 km long and 5 km wide, and in total, it has around 2,500 Iranian residents. A small land that has lasted for at least 200 years in the shape of an island among blue, sapphire-like waters of the Persian Gulf. However, I want to talk about the fascinating events that occurred in Hengam and impressed my soul.

Last month, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop for local communities around the salty and sweet lagoons and Minab to visit Hormozgan (a province in the east of Iran). During the journey, I met a man called Hossein Aghakhani Zanjani, an environmental activist and diving expert who has tried for many years to help the area’s tourism boom and keep Hengam’s natural attractions safe from tourists’ irresponsible and harmful behavior. Therefore, he tries to plan and restore coral reefs, clean up Hengam, and rescue injured animals and birds in the area, in addition to his original business. The story that I want to tell in this article is about one of the observations and incredible experiences of Hossein Aghakhani Zanjani.

The story goes back to early 2012, when Hussein was crossing a beach road called “Ghir” by his blue Nissan van, which is one of the few cars on the island. Suddenly, he came across a donkey sitting in the middle of the road, blocking his way! As it turned out, the donkey needed help. After getting out of the car, he discovered that the donkey’s foot was sore and swollen, and a piece of metal — an open can apparently thrown away by tourists — was stuck in his foot. Of course, Hussein tried hard to catch the donkey, but the injured animal escaped limping away. (Note that these donkeys, which were used for transport purposes, had been abandoned without care and lived semi-wildly.)

This scene was forgotten until a few days later when somebody informed Hussein that the injured donkey was in the schoolyard. He immediately went to the school, and as you can see in the following pictures, with the help of his colleagues, they caught the donkey, removed the remaining pieces of the can from his leg, treated the wound, and released him back into nature.

About a month later, when Hussein was working in his office, he suddenly heard some noises outside. The sounds belonged to the same donkey and his friends! All of the donkeys were injured by metal pieces and suffered from pain and infection in their legs. Now, they had come to the human who had proved himself a real friend, someone they could trust and feel safe with.