Meet The King, the sole remaining donkey on the remote island of Inishturk, off the coast of Ireland. Now 27 years old, he spent his earlier life without even a name, let alone a title.
But when the farmer who owned him died, the islanders stepped in to look after him. His status has since been elevated to one of regal celebrity, a mascot of local pride.
For company, The King now roams with the sheep that graze on the hillsides overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. For his welfare needs, he’s attended to by adoring human subjects. And that’s where we come in.
Local people reached out to us for assistance after learning about our Donkey Welfare Improvement Scheme, an initiative to improve the lives of donkeys in private ownership. Our scheme provides support in veterinary care in places way beyond our sanctuaries and aims to assist donkey owners/keepers in keeping their donkeys healthy and well, and in their private care in preference to seeking to relinquish them to animal welfare charities such as ourselves. Help may include items such as advice, veterinary, dental and farrier services, and the provision of suitable feed.
Our welfare adviser David Walsh and farrier Eugene Butler took the ferry to Inishturk and gave The King a full check-up. After some hoof trimming and worming, he was declared fit to return to his flock of friends.
