Our approach to rescues
We provide loving care for donkeys in our sanctuaries across the United Kingdom and Europe.
Our mission is all about improving donkey welfare. While placing donkeys into our care has always been, and continues to be, a key part of delivering that mission, it is now just one of the many ways we work to improve donkey welfare. Our experience has taught us that alternatives to sanctuary care can often be the best option for some donkeys, and we work to reduce the need for us to intervene and ‘rescue’ by improving the welfare of donkeys wherever they live.
Donkeys that get relinquished into our ownership usually have complex needs that require specialist care and attention that can only be delivered in a sanctuary setting.
Making the right decisions for every donkey
Our aim is to be ever more proactive and to reduce the need for ‘rescue’ by improving the welfare of donkeys wherever they live. This includes the requirement for increased collaboration with international organisations as well as educating donkey owners to take care of their animals. The result will be a legacy of good on-the-ground welfare for donkeys everywhere.
Our activities have expanded well beyond the ‘rescue’ model. Across the globe we now provide donkey welfare education and outreach programmes. We also lobby governments and work with communities and organisations to improve the life of working donkeys.
A day in the life of New Arrivals
The path to rehoming starts from the very moment a donkey or mule comes into our care.
Not all donkeys that come to live at The Donkey Sanctuary end up being suitable for private homes. Nevertheless, we give each and every one of them as much attention as they require to help them get their best new start.
Our rescue stories
A group of donkeys living with overgrown hooves are now on the road to recovery after they were rescued from a smallholding in North Devon.
A group of painfully thin donkeys living in a field strewn with dangerous hazards in North Wales have started a new chapter in our care.
A donkey who was spotted with a grapefruit-sized tumour on his abdomen has made a miraculous recovery thanks to life-saving surgery.
A donkey discovered living in appalling conditions at a West Midlands scrapyard is now flourishing more than a year on from his rescue.
The Donkey Sanctuary joined a multi-agency operation to remove 23 ponies from Gelligaer Common in South Wales last week due to concerns for their welfare.
A pregnant donkey who was discovered in muddy, rain-swept conditions in Cornwall has finally welcomed her foal – nearly a year on from her rescue.
“They were the longest hooves I’ve ever seen in my professional career.” Those were the frank words issued by Kia Thomas, one of our Donkey Welfare Advisers, who facilitated the rescue of three donkeys in urgent veterinary need in Wales. Find out more.
A group of five underweight donkeys with horrendously overgrown hooves and mud-caked coats were rescued following an extensive operation lasting more than 10 hours.
Dozens of donkeys discovered in poor conditions at a farm in Wales are now safe in our care following a huge rescue operation in February last year.
