Bud and Heidi find friendship in the herd

Bud has been a Sidmouth resident for more than ten years and spent much of that time with his companion Bonnie. They were very close, and wherever one went the other would soon follow. Tall in stature, Bonnie was one of our adoption donkeys, and was incredibly popular with staff and visitors alike. 

 But in February last year, Bonnie started showing signs of colic, a painful condition affecting a donkey’s digestive system. It soon became apparent that the condition was serious so she underwent emergency surgery and was closely monitored to see if she improved. Sadly her health continued to decline, and on the advice of our veterinary team and specialist colic surgeons she was gently put to sleep with her best friend Bud by her side. 

 Staff at our Sidmouth sanctuary kept a close eye on Bud as he mourned the loss of Bonnie. It was clear that the 18-year-old dark-brown gelding was lonely and really missed her. Whenever a donkey passes, grooms need to ensure their close companion still eats their food as normal, as not eating could be a symptom of hyperlipaemia, an illness that can be brought on in donkeys by stress, and one that can be fatal in some cases. 

 Fortunately, Bud’s behaviour remained normal, so grooms hoped he’d soon be able to develop a new close friendship with another donkey in the herd. When he appeared to be forming a bond with a donkey named Jonathan, they thought that he had found his new companion - but became apparent that the friendship wasn’t close, so the search continued. 

 As time passed, staff noticed that Bud was starting to spend more and more time with a single mare named Heidi. They could often be seen standing alongside each other among the rest of the herd in New Barn and would also mutually groom each other. 

Groom Hannah Tiller said: “We didn’t want to get our hopes up, but monitored them to see if their friendship developed and encouraged them whenever we could. We were delighted when we realised they were starting to bond.” 

 Heidi, a 13-year-old mare, was born on one of our farms. She had lived with the herd at our Sidmouth sanctuary’s Main Yard for six years, but had never closely bonded with another donkey until now. To see her finally finding a close companion was all the grooms who care for them could wish for. 

 Emma Down, one of our team of grooms who look after the resident herd at Sidmouth, added: “It was so sad to see Bud mourning the loss of his beloved Bonnie, but the bond he has developed with Heidi is heartwarming for us all. They both rely on each other now; their friendship seems unbreakable.”