Europe

Obama and Shorty are as different in character as two donkeys can be, but they have one thing in common - missing ears.

For the first time, The Donkey Sanctuary presented members of the European Parliament with evidence of the growing donkey skin trade at a meeting in Strasbourg last week.

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.

At 31-years-old, when the time had come where she was no longer strong enough to work, elderly donkey Anastasia was left to suffer in what must have been unbearable conditions – literally being eaten alive by maggots. 

The Donkey Sanctuary Ireland’s expertise was called upon when a donkey was found in severe pain, after being surrendered to an animal welfare organisation during a horse fair near Mallow, County Cork.

The Donkey Sanctuary and its partner, Greek Animal Welfare Fund/Animal Action Hellas (GAWF), held positive talks on 24 August with the Mayor of Santorini, Anastasios-Nikolaos Zorzos, who has pledged to improve the conditions for working equines on the Greek island.

Our sanctuary in Spain were quick to offer their help after a donkey was found tied to a tree, shaking and thrashing around in distress.

When the welfare team at our sanctuary in Spain received a picture of the ‘saddest looking donkey they had ever seen’ they immediately sprang into action.

Representatives from The Donkey Sanctuary’s Spanish branch, El Refugio del Burrito, handed a petition containing 24,229 signatures to regional government officials of Extremadura in Spain calling for a change in the law to stop the use of a live donkey at the Peropalo festival.

Staff at The Donkey Sanctuary in Spain know they still have work to do despite seeing a significant improvement in animal welfare at El Rocio, Spain’s biggest equine pilgrimage.