Good news from Italy! Our first sanctuary there, Il Rifugio degli Asinelli ONLUS, is now open to the public, following an official ceremony on Saturday 22nd August 2009, 18 months after the first donkeys arrived. Local dignatories and journalists were given a guided tour during the morning and in the afternoon more than 1,000 people attended, as well as teams from two local television stations.

The Sanctuary rescues mistreated and abandoned donkeys, many of them coming from Italy, Romania and over 100 donkeys are now assured a safe and happy future.

The saddest eyes ever seen

On 24th April 2009, the team received several calls from members of the public who were concerned about a donkey tied to a tree and abandoned on the side of the road in a location close to Cernavoda, which is about 10 km from the holding base.

When they arrived he was found to be extremely thin and not in very good health. The staff gave him the name of Boss and said he had the saddest eyes they had every seen.

Boss was checked by a vet who aged him at 12 years old. He was given food and water and put into the isolation unit for a short while to keep an eye on how he settled in and to ensure that he didn't have any diseases he could pass on to the other donkeys. Boss was not happy in the unit; he still had very sad eyes and his health didn't improve. However, when his isolation period was over he was moved into a small group with several other donkeys and his skin, weight and appearance quickly improved. He is now thoroughly enjoying life with his new friends.