One of our supporters, Brenda Sterry, visited some of our projects in India earlier this year. Miss Sterry was on a personal pilgrimage to Gwalior, where her father had been stationed during the Second World War, but she was also very keen to see the Donkey Sanctuary’s work.

In a diary of her visit, Miss Sterry wrote, “I was so fortunate that, at the time of my visit, the Donkey Sanctuary was holding an all-India staff meeting in Gwalior, and I was very privileged to be allowed to accompany the personnel involved.”

Here are some more extracts from her diary in which she describes her impressions of our work in India...

Day two: “My first introduction to the Donkey Sanctuary staff at New Delhi where the India project Head Office is situated. I was invited to accompany one of the vets to a family where a donkey foal which had contracted tetanus needed to be put down. The family lived in a temporary compound, under worn-out tarpaulin shelters. No-one should talk about poverty until they have experienced the conditions I saw. Yet, despite the poverty, the family was so welcoming and generous, including me in their hospitality. The vet told me that, for all their poor circumstances, they were concerned for the welfare of their donkeys on which they depended for the work they did in the brickyards. We also visited another encampment where a mule required treatment for an infected leg wound.

“The thing I found quite upsetting was the way the donkeys are hobbled to stop them wandering too far away when they are not working, but I appreciate that the owners have no other option, since there are no pastures into which they can release their animals.”

Day three: “A big train journey to Gwalior and the coming together of all the Donkey Sanctuary vets, dressers, drivers and educationalists in India, many of whom I met during the journey. I was struck with how few the veterinary personnel are and how enormous the task with which they are faced. When we arrived at our Gwalior hotel there was a Hindi wedding in progress, which was so colourful”.

Day four: “I again joined the party for a session on harnesses and bridles, and communication with equines. Sadly the equipment used on the equines I saw is not of a high standard and causes considerable damage to the poor beasts. Again, one must understand that the owners have no money to spend on quality, but have to make do with all sorts of materials.”

Day seven: “Final day with the vets and staff at the New Delhi office. What a lovely crowd they are. “

Day eight: “What will I remember most about this trip? Mostly the incredible warmth and inclusiveness extended to me by absolutely everyone; the satisfaction of having achieved the aims of my visit; and the deliciousness of the masala chi as brewed at the New Delhi office! I have slightly altered a quotation from Francesco Negri: “Here at Gwalior my longing has also come to an end, and I return home satisfied.”