Spouses, Alen and Meliha Džindo, from Vlasenica, a town in Eastern Bosnia, have a pretty lottle farm near the house for three years, where neighbors and friends of their four children are often gathering, enjoying and socializing with animals. In addition to the mares, ponies, cows and young goats, the greatest attention is paid to 17 cuddly donkeys.
Lala, Đura, Zvonara, are just some of the names of these noble animals, and besides Alen and Meliha, Hamza, Amina, Emina and their son Tarik, when he comes from Sarajevo, where he goes to secondary school, take care of them after school.
It heals everything
– I love Lala the most, because she always follows me and she likes me the most. As soon as I get out of school, I have a quick lunch and I take donkeys out on the field. Often my friend comes with me – says this schoolboy.
It is no wonder that Džindo family is especially fond of donkeys, or jennies, since Tarik, who was sick for several months, was cured with help of these animals.
– Tarik began to cough three years ago. He was coughing for 24 hours a day for three months. He was in the hospital, nothing helped him, they even gave him injections in the evening to help him sleep for three or four hours as he could not sleep otherwise. They gave him various therapies, medications, they were constantly changing, and nothing helped, and then the doctor told me to try it with donkey milk – says Alen Džindo.
Although this did not seem like a promising solution, he knew that he had to try everything. He started looking for donkey milk in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but given that he could not find fresh milk anywhere, he decided to buy a donkey that would give the child necessary milk. Only a few days after drinking donkey milk, his son was cured.
– That was incredible. He was immediately feeling better. We thought about selling a jenny, but when we saw how many neighbors ask for milk when they heard about Tarik’s case, we decided to keep her. We did not think of any business at that time, it was even funny for us to own a donkey, but here we are now, making a living out of it – says Alen.
His wife Meliha says that there is a lot of work with them and other animals, but that everyone enjoys it.
– The day starts at 6 am and ends in the evening. It takes an hour to clean everything, and then give everyone some water, food, take them out … You have to work a lot, but we all enjoy it. It’s easier to work with animals than with humans. We moved our children from the street, from computers – says Meliha.
Spouses clarify that donkey milk, after camel milk, is the healthiest and that is why it is much required all over the world.
– By composition, it is most similar to breast milk and i tis full of vitamins. It can treat “all but death”, and it is most effective in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, cough, alleviation of allergies, dermatitis. It is also great for a nice ten – they said, adding that this is a milk with no special taste, but it is sweeter than cow’s, and because of that, kids especially like it.
Increasing number of customers testify to the fact that it really cures many diseases and strengthens immunity.
Cosmetics
– Everyone whom we gave the milk came back for more. As much as we produce, we sell. The donkeys do not give a lot of milk. Lactation lasts 5-6 months a year; it depends on the individual jenny. At the annual level, this is about 12 liters of milk from a jenny. Precisely because of the fact that donkeys do not give a lot of milk and the fact that it is very healthy, it is also quite expensive. One liter costs 100 BAM – our interlocutors say.
Because of this, many cannot afford it, and for those who need it Alen and Meliha give a few doses for the treatment of certain diseases.
– We give a loto f it as a gift. People come, they seek medicine, and they do not have money. We give them milk, because we know how it was for us when our son was sick – they say.
They explain that this milk is spesific for many reasons; next to healthy properties, peculiarity is that it doesn’t need to be cooked, one can drink it fresh or freez it.
– It can only last for an hour at these temperatures, otherwise it must be frozen. After unfreezing it, it has to be used in ten minutes, because it quickly spoils. Some allegedly make cheeses, soaps, cosmetics, but it cannot be done, because it requires thermal treatment, and at 35 degrees milk spoils and loses its healing properties – say Alen and Meliha Džindo.
They soon hope to expand their farm and further develop a small family business, which thanks to the healing properties of milk helps many.