A new start for Punk and Soldier

Punk, a three-year-old donkey, shared a muddy field with his father, Soldier, and a group of cattle in Wiltshire.

His situation was brought to the attention of The Donkey Sanctuary in May last year, with our Donkey Welfare Advisers spending a lengthy period of time working closely with the donkeys’ owners to try and improve their standard of care.

Jenna Goldby, one of our Donkey Welfare Advisers, says: “Punk and Soldier’s owners were under increasing pressure due to loss of land.

“Despite their best efforts to reduce the number of animals in their care and improve conditions on the remaining land, when winter hit the situation worsened and they realised they were no longer able to provide the basic level of welfare the donkeys needed.

“On my last visit to Wiltshire, Punk and Soldier had been moved to a marginally less muddy area of the field, but this came with its own set of issues.”

The small parcel of land was a quagmire of deep mud and strewn with scrap, including corrugated metal, wire netting and car tyres.

There was no shelter for Punk and Soldier to evade the elements, and the deep, congealed mud meant they were unable to comfortably lie down and rest.

Jenna says: “Their environment was wholly unacceptable and it was imperative that we moved them to a more suitable location.

“There was a risk of Punk and Soldier lacerating themselves on the sharp corrugated metal strewn about. They could have also become tangled in the discarded wire netting.

“I could also see that Punk had developed an abnormal walk, possibly due to having to move through such thick mud for such a long time. He lifted his legs very high when moving.

“It was also noticeable how underweight Punk was. It was clear that being continually exposed to the elements was taking its toll on his body.

“He had rain scald on his ears and patches of hair loss on his legs, and was worryingly listless for a donkey of his age.”

A grey donkey and a dark brown donkey stood in thick mud surrounded by hazardous materials. — Soldier (left) and Punk living in deep mud, surrounded by hazardous materials.

A underweight dark brown donkey with rain scald and hair loss. — Punk was underweight and had rain scald on his ears and patches of hair loss on his legs.

A close up of a grey donkey stood in thick mud looking toward camera. — Soldier was at risk of hurting himself on the sharp metal strewn about his environment.

New beginnings

Following discussions with Punk and Soldier’s owners, they made the decision to relinquish the donkeys into the care of The Donkey Sanctuary.

Punk and Soldier were swiftly collected and transported to one of our Devon farms, where they are receiving ongoing care.

Jenna says: “Watching Punk and Soldier step off the lorry onto dry concrete was such a relief.

“They had no concerns at all about walking straight into the barn and onto the shavings bed.

“Despite their journey, they both immediately had a trot around the grassy paddock. It was almost like they knew they were safe.”

A dark brown donkey standing close to the camera while a grey donkey stands further back in a grass field surrounded by wooden fence. — Punk (left) and Soldier are now thriving in sanctuary care.

A grey donkey in the foreground with a dark brown donkey stood behind grazing on grass in a field surrounded by wooden fencing. — Soldier (left) and Punk are now thriving in sanctuary care.

A grey donkey stood on the left of a dark brown donkey as they both graze in a field surrounded by a wooden fence — Soldier (left) and Punk are now thriving in sanctuary care.

Veterinary Surgeon Jamie Forrest, who is overseeing the donkeys’ road to recovery, adds: “Punk and Soldier are doing well and growing in confidence.

“Soldier was in pretty good health, so we are focusing on building his trust in people.

“Punk’s walk is improving as he is gaining weight and he is undergoing physiotherapy with his grooms to help build muscle.

“All being well, Punk and Soldier will make the move to one of our boys-only groups at a sanctuary later this year, where they will enjoy the company of other donkeys.”