The Donkey Sanctuary has been working in Greece since 2005 when a group of 14 donkeys were relinquished in Athens. The Sanctuary set up a holding base to care for this group who have since been joined by more donkeys, many of whom have suffered through being unwanted, abandoned or have been mistreated working animals.

Greek donkeys tend to be smaller in size than the donkeys we see in the UK but are often used for agriculture or to provide 'taxi' services for tourists around narrow, steep streets, often with inadequate shelter, rest or water provision.

Paul Svendsen, the Sanctuary's director of European operations, says "By working in conjunction with other animal welfare groups and campaigning at a local level, we hope to put an end to the suffering of these poor donkeys who are often worked to exhaustion. We are making significant improvements in the care of donkeys and mules in continental Europe and are optimistic that further progress will be made in the future."

Sanctuary representatives regularly visit the Greek holding base to ensure that the donkeys are being well cared for and give support and advice in addition to monitoring the condition of working donkeys throughout the Greek islands.