Rescue

On the last few days, misty mornings have given way to sunny afternoons, which has really helped the bog out the front of the stables to start too dry out. Unfortunately I woke this morning to heavy rain and when I arrived to start working with the mules, the bog now resembles a pond!

Two donkeys named Mary and Joseph who were found abandoned on a main road in Potters Bar in Hertfordshire will have a warm stable and secure future this Christmas after being taken into the care of The Donkey Sanctuary this week.

Amid fear of further flooding, The Donkey Sanctuary carried out an emergency pick-up of a 14 year old donkey called Rose whose mother had drowned in flash floods in Hoff, Cumbria at the end of September. Rose’s distraught owner asked the charity to take her in to ensure her safety.

With many areas of the country still reeling from recent flooding and more wet weather forecast, the international animal welfare charity is glad that their latest rescue will be safe, warm and dry whatever the weather this winter.

Staff at The Donkey Sanctuary are delighted with lung scan results that confirm that a young donkey who was critically ill when he was rescued in June is making a good recovery from a severe respiratory condition that made it difficult for him to breathe.

A four year old donkey called Emmet who was found abandoned in Northern Ireland in February 2012 is settling in to his new home in Devon this week, thanks to The Donkey Sanctuary.

Six months after Emmet and his three friends were rescued by the international animal welfare charity, specialist care and attention has helped to put them all firmly on the road to recovery. All have gained weight and have started on a process of corrective farriery to right their neglected and overgrown hooves. The four donkeys have since been named Emmet, Ardan, Ciaran and Finbar.

Whenever abandoned donkeys come into the care of The Donkey Sanctuary one of the first questions asked is what they should be called. To us, donkeys are very much part of the family, and it seems only right that they have their own names and identities as well as their own unique characters.