How to Help Donkey Friends (here and abroad)
The Donkey Sanctuary donates nearly every penny to donkey welfare at home and abroad. The charity was set up by Dr Elizabeth Svendson, after she discovered donkeys in appalling conditions at an Exeter market.
It has a state-of-the-art hospital and beautiful sanctuaries nationwide, and has already helped to ban donkey slaughter in parts of Africa (the skins used for the ‘medicine trade’).
You can report of a donkey in need or donkey concerns, and their dedicated team of experts and volunteers will kick into action.
- Sign up as your chosen charity at easyfundraising. Then each time you buy a product or service, retailers donate a portion of sales on your behalf, at no cost to you. It does not affect loyalty points.
- Donate (you can donate anonymously if preferred by opening an account at Charities Aid Foundation (add Gift Aid, if you’re a taxpayer).
- If you play lotteries, switch to the Donkey Lottery, a weekly £1 draw where you can win up to £1000. There are 33 cash prizes each week (let them know if you don’t want your name appearing on the winner’s list).
- Buy a jute shopping bag, which helps the planet, and profits fund helping donkeys.
Other Ways to Help Donkey Sanctuaries
- Most sanctuaries appreciate purchase of MudControl slabs, used by farmers and equestrians, to turn muddy land into safe places to pass through or eat hay. They are used with sand for easy installation.
- Enter the words ‘donkey sanctuary’ at Find That Charity, to bring up registered donkey sanctuaries. You can volunteer locally, add the county name to your search.
- All donkey sanctuaries welcome trained volunteers, and others to help with cleaning, feeding animals and building shelters.
Actor John Nettles is passionate about donkeys (and horses – he supports Mare and Foal Sanctuary, which offers lifelong sanctuary for equines and welfare advice). He even helped to rescue a donkey from Ireland, who now happily lives with a new donkey friend!
Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary (how to support it)
Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary rescues animals from England and abroad, and is set in 55 acres with walking trails (it also rescues mules and ponies, and educates on donkey welfare).
Residents have been rescued from donkey beach rides to turning water wheels, others simply due to guardians becoming ill or losing their land.
- Rescuing each donkey costs around £1000, so again sign up as your chosen charity at easyfundraising, then anytime you buy at shops or services, a portion of the price goes to them, at no cost to you. Again you can donate anonymously through Charities Aid Foundation.
- Switch lottery tickets to Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary Lotto. It’s £1 a ticket, with 60% of sales benefiting them (there’s a 1 in 50 change to win, the top weekly prize is £25,000).
- Hedgerow Gin uses herbs, fruits and berries from local hedgerows, with profits supporting the sanctuary. Wildheart Sanctuary Gin also benefits a local animal sanctuary.
Check medication, before consuming grapefruit gin. Choose soda water (over tonic water) for some medical conditions (check paper inserts). Recycle corks at off licenses, or send off in bulk to Recorked.
Don’t Accept Donkey Rides (here or abroad)
It’s less popular these days, but donkey rides are (like horse carriages and Punch & Judy shows) gradually disappearing, in a better age of animal welfare. There are welfare checks (overseen by The Donkey Sanctuary) on remaining donkey rides on English beaches.
This was brought into place, due to needing strict riding weights, due to heavier children. But it will remains a boring life for sociable donkeys, who no doubt would prefer to be living in open fields, with their own kind.
It’s now the law that all donkeys on beaches in England, must have fresh water and shade. Only a few years ago, a petition to ban all UK donkey rides gained 100,000 signatures.
In a northern seaside town recently, some parents were in uproar, when the local man giving donkey rides, demanded to weight children, before letting them ride his animals. He was however inundated with support from the public, for trying to ensure good welfare for his donkeys.
Don’t Take Donkey Rides in Europe
A British family recently used Born Free’s Red Alert to report emaciated donkeys giving rides in a town on Costa del Sol, a popular tourist holiday destination. The charity and others have been lobbying the mayor of Mijas, to end donkey rides in this area, and let them go to the nearby donkey sanctuary.
Some were being made to stand in intense heat for hours, waiting for tourists to book a cart they had to pull along, often without access to water between rides.
Many were frothing at the mouth, some were falling down hills due to fatigue, and others were standing in their own urine, unable to move. A local said the donkeys are being worked seven days a week.
El Refugio del Burrito is the Spanish brand of The Donkey Charity, doing all it can to help. But it would be made a lot easier if British and other foreign tourists did not support the donkey ride industry. You can also report concerns to their website.
How to Help Working Donkeys Abroad
- The Donkey Care Handbook (also in Chinese) educates communities on good donkey care, and works to stop millions of donkeys being killed for their skins.
- SPANA provides free vet care and help for natural disasters (report concerns). Donations fund volunteer vets for ‘draught animals’.
- Animal Aid Abroad helps working horses, donkeys (and camels).
- Brooke helps working horses, donkeys and mules (report concerns if on holiday). Its book Sharing the Load (download in several languages) educates communities on helping draught animals.
- Safe Haven for Donkeys (raise funds by donating scrap cars and Lucy’s UK Donkey Foundation helps donkeys in the Middle East.
- The Donkey Haven Charity helps donkeys use for meat and tourism (report concerns, they have adoptive homes if needed).
Helping Donkeys in Tanzania
SPANA is helping donkeys in flooded areas. There are many ways to help:
- Sending unwanted (including broken) jewellery and watches, along with UK or foreign bank notes and coins, unwanted mobile phones, cameras, stamps (leave a 1cm surround to preserve the perforations)) and electronic gadgets. Again you can donate scrap cars, to sell scrap metal.
- Choose SPANA as your cause at easyfundraising. Then again when you shop at participating businesses, a portion of the price goes to them, and it won’t cost you a penny. If you prefer to give anonymously, just tick the box at Charities Aid Foundation.
- IAPWA (easyfundraising) is another charity active in Tanzania.
