Supporting donkeys in the west

Donkey foal standing in waste ground

In early summer Donkey Welfare Adviser (DWA) David Walsh received a request for help from a vet in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) who had been called to the property of a donkey owner in the west of Ireland.

The vet had discovered eight donkeys, six of whom were very thin with back and hip bones protruding through their coats. All of the donkeys had long, untrimmed hooves.

David spoke with the owner and quickly assessed the donkeys. The group had grown in number due to unplanned breeding and the owner was struggling to care for the donkeys.

Within a few days, fellow DWA, Emily Collins, arrived with David to assess the donkeys, and Eugene Butler from our welfare team trimmed the donkeys’ long hooves. 

Two of the animals are foals and David and Emily knew that in order for them to thrive they needed the help of our veterinary team at New Arrivals at our sanctuary in Liscarroll.

The donkey owner agreed to relinquish four of the donkeys into our care. Our sanctuary is full, but we do have a small amount of space for cases involving mares with foals each year. 

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Pair of New Arrivals donkeys

We called the four donkeys Alina, Alex, Emily and Beth and they travelled to Liscarroll to begin their rehabilitation in the care of our veterinary team. When the time is right, we hope these donkeys will join our Rehoming scheme. 

At the owner’s property, the reduced group of donkeys is now easier to manage. To prevent further breeding there are no females left in the group.

David says: “This owner became overwhelmed trying to care for a group of eight donkeys. By reducing the group size and the chance of breeding, we have reduced the care burden to four donkeys which is more manageable for the owner.”

David has provided advice about basic donkey care and nutrition to the owner. Along with DAFM, David will continue to monitor the donkeys and provide advice and help to the donkey owner as needed in the future.

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