Donkey barber keeps family tradition alive

Mohammed Mahmoud is a donkey barber in Egypt's capital city, Cairo - an expert in trimming and styling horses, camels, mules, sheep, goats, dogs - and donkeys.



It's a unique trade, but for Mahmoud it's a family tradition, passed down through the generations from his grandfather. He is a third-generation qassasseen, the Egyptian Arabic term for animal barbers.

Regular trims keeps the animals cool in the summer months and owners often request their initials being clipped into their flanks. Mahmoud charges around 20 to 30 Egyptian pounds per customer (£1.50 - £2, $3 - $5).


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Each job usually takes him less than 30 minutes - depending on the order and how sensitive the animal is. But it can be dangerous work. He's lost a fingertip, broken his teeth and has various other scars from plying his trade over the years.