What Does Post-Trauma Recovery Look Like for an Animal?
An animal that's labeled "good" or "easy" may actually be distressed.
Posted June 1, 2026 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan
What does recovery look like after trauma if the danger has lessened, but not disappeared?
That question sits at the heart of Beyond , a new film from UK-based Safe Haven for Donkeys about working donkeys in Egypt’s brick kilns. These are industrial sites where clay bricks are made, dried, and fired for construction. They are harsh environments for both people and animals. Men and boys work long hours in intense heat, and donkeys haul heavy loads of bricks across sand and into tight kiln spaces that larger vehicles often cannot navigate easily.
In an earlier post , we explored evidence that many of these donkeys may show behaviours consistent with complex post- traumatic stress . But another question matters too: What might the earliest signs of recovery look like in an animal whose life is still hard, but no longer quite as brutal as before?
The limits of the “stoic donkey” idea
Donkeys are often described as stoic. There is some truth in that description as a species trait, but psychologically it can also be misleading.
An animal who seems unusually quiet, passive, or compliant may not be calm at all. They may be exhausted. They may be conserving energy. Or they may have learned that resistance is futile. Psychologists sometimes describe this as learned helplessness : when repeated, inescapable stress leads an individual to stop trying to avoid harm, even when escape later becomes possible.
What looks like patience can, in fact, be shutdown.
This is one reason trauma in animals is easy to overlook. A donkey who no longer reacts, protests, or seeks contact may be labeled “good” or “easy.” In reality, that animal may be deeply distressed.
What progress actually looks like
One strength of Beyond is that it avoids a simple rescue narrative. The kilns remain harsh. The work remains demanding. Economics still drives decisions. But the film also documents meaningful changes. There are fewer open wounds. Some donkeys are better fed and in stronger condition. Harnesses have improved. Veterinary oversight and education have increased. And in one kiln, a tractor pilot is beginning to reduce part of the donkeys’ workload.
Recovery from prolonged trauma does not always begin with obvious joy. It may begin with less withdrawal, fewer pain behaviours, more interest in the environment , or a slightly greater ability to rest. The donkeys in Beyond are not suddenly carefree. But some appear more responsive and less shut down than the animals seen in earlier visits .
If we expect recovery to look dramatic, we may miss the significance of these quieter changes.
Why welfare improvements matter
In severely exploitative systems, welfare gains can be dismissed as too little to matter. But reduced pain matters. Better nutrition matters. Rest matters. Fewer wounds matter.
For an individual animal, these are not superficial changes. They can mean the difference between constant injury and pain, and some relief, between chronic distress and the first conditions under which healing may begin. From a psychological perspective, recovery depends on safety, predictability, and relief from repeated harm. Welfare improvements are therefore not separate from psychological recovery. They are often its first precondition.
But they are not the endpoint
Improvement is not the same as resolution.
Even where donkeys are better treated, they remain part of a system shaped by low margins and intense production pressure. The film is honest that economics, more than compassion, still drive most change.
That is why the longer-term question matters: Is it enough to make this labour less harmful, or should the goal be to remove donkeys from it altogether?
For us, the answer is clear. Welfare progress is essential, but it is not the endpoint.
The long-term direction
That is where mechanisation becomes important. In Beyond , tractors are being trialled to reduce donkey labour. The film shows both the promise and the limits of this approach. Machines can take over some of the heaviest hauling, but donkeys remain difficult to replace in narrow, crowded kiln spaces. Any alternative must also be affordable and workable for kiln owners if it is to last.
Unfortunately, there is no shortcut to mechanisation. But it may be the clearest long-term path if the goal is to end the donkeys’ physical and psychological burden altogether.
Recovery, in animals as in humans, begins quietly. A donkey does not need to look carefree for change to matter. If they are less injured, less frightened, less overworked, and more engaged than before, that may already tell us something important: trauma can begin to soften when suffering is reduced.
Our responsibility is to recognise that progress, value it, and keep going.
See more information about Safe Haven for Donkeys and its work in Egypt.
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Anna Harrison, MRCVS, is Veterinary Advisor to Safe Haven for Donkeys.
Theodora Capaldo, Ed.D., is a licensed psychologist and long-time animal advocate working to highlight PTSD in animals.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.