Italy

The Donkey Sanctuary working in Italy

Our work in Italy began on Friday 2nd April 2004 when we rescued 21 donkeys from terrible conditions at a bankrupt zoo in Naples and took them to our Spanish subsidiary El Refugio del Burrito .

The mission was the result of an urgent appeal from Angela Revel-Chion, the director of an Italian animal welfare association called Nata Libera, who had the enormous task of re-homing the zoo’s 1,200 inhabitants.

The donkey population in Italy is estimated in the region of 24,000 some are used for meat, which is sold in markets in salami form and served up in restaurant stews. They are also used for transportation in rural farming areas, animal assisted therapy and holiday trekking.

At the time, we were looking to establish a core project in Italy so were delighted when Ms Revel-Chion initially helped us run a small refuge from her own organisation in the North West.

This was a huge benefit to donkeys, meaning we could actively rescue any in distress and provide them with a refuge for life.

With each rescue, word of our ‘donkey help’ soon spread and the need for a permanent project was inevitable.

We established a subsidiary organisation called ‘Il Rifugio Degli Asinelli’ as a charity in Italy and finally, we set about purchasing a new farm in Sala Biellese which is North of Turin, which took in its first donkeys in late 2007. We are hoping it will be open to the public in the summer of 2008.
 
The future for our core project in Italy is exciting. We can now provide permanent refuge to donkeys and also address welfare issues in the country by providing education and training to donkey owners and professionals.

The project in Italy is a subsidiary of The Donkey Sanctuary and desperately needs funds. Donations towards the new donkey barns and stables to be built later this year will be gratefully received.