As a newbie to The Donkey Sanctuary press office, I have been amazed by the variety of work that is done. From the many offices and farms that all work so hard to bring about tremendous successes both in the UK and overseas, there certainly are a lot of people to meet and much to learn.

By far, one of the highlights of my time here so far has been a visit to the 'new arrivals' unit to visit new born foal Mr Khan and his very proud mother, the grandly named Oonagh. Mr Khan was born on Tuesday 6th October and is in very good health, feeding well and being looked after beautifully by Oonagh.

The Sanctuary has a no breeding policy and only has foals if a donkey is taken in already pregnant. Whilst all the donkeys are treated with love and affection, there's something irresistible and undeniably precious about spending time with a new born foal. As one of the vets, Elena, showed me into the stable, I was first met by Oonagh who, quite rightly, wanted a congratulatory cuddle. She then gracefully stepped aside to reveal her new foal, a gorgeous bundle of joy with a soft brown coat. After taking a moment to regard me with his beautiful huge eyes, he trotted straight over to say an enthusiastic 'hello' and I was inundated with snuffles and warmth.

The purpose of my visit was to take some photos of Mr Khan to share with you; however he proved to be a rather tricky subject and seemed to prefer investigating the camera to posing for photos. At one point I was kept very busy deterring him from licking the lens whilst also being overwhelmed by Oonagh who was determined to give me a huge donkey cuddle. Both donkeys were so friendly, inquisitive and determined to follow me closely around the paddock that I soon gave up any ambitions of taking pictures from afar and, after taking a few lucky shots, gave in and spent some time giving them the well-deserved cuddles they were looking for.

Although Oonagh and Mr Khan are still in the new arrivals unit which is not open to the public, our veterinary team are looking forward to moving them over to the main Sanctuary paddocks in the not too distant future.

I can't wait to see how this adorable foal gets on and will be sure to keep you updated on how he progresses over the coming months.