With your support last year we were able to provide treatment in our International projects to around 400,000 animals. This together with all our activities throughout Europe means that we are now providing medication, care and welfare to well over 500,000 donkeys and mules.

Continental Europe

We are making significant improvements in the care of donkeys and mules in Continental Europe, where we have only been operating for five years. In addition to the sanctuary style facilities we operate in Spain, Italy and Cyprus, we are trialling throughout mainland Europe the use of licensed holding bases which can each take in about 40 donkeys. These bases will give us greater capacity to take in donkeys and mules in need without having to transport them long distances across Europe.

• Spain -El Refugio del Burrito
• Italy - Il Rifugio degli Asinelli
• Cyprus - Donkey Sanctuary (Cyprus)

Other European Projects

El Refugio del Burrito, a Spanish subsidiary of The Donkey Sanctuary, is campaigning through a petition to put a stop to a brutal fiesta that takes place every Shrove Tuesday in the Spanish village of Villanueva de la Vera which sees a helpless donkey being dragged through crowded streets in the name of tradition.

Each year, villagers and visitors from the surrounding area of Villanueva de la Vera celebrate the carnival of Peropalo during which a donkey is ridden through the village by a drunken rider and is subjected to degrading and cruel treatment.

The donkey is forced along the streets while an increasingly drunken crowd shout, ring bells and fire guns into the air around the animal. In previous years, Sanctuary staff have also witnessed the crowd forcing alcohol down the donkey’s throat. Often, confusion and exhaustion will cause the donkey to fall to the floor and it is then aggressively dragged and pushed to its feet to continue the long route around the village.

It had been hoped that the practice would come to an end in 2003 after the parliament of Junta de Extremadura passed a law (Ley 5/2002) forbidding the use of animals in festivals where the animal receives cruel mistreatment, however, in practice this has not been enforced and a donkey continues to be used.

International

Unlike in Europe where we can provide sanctuary for donkeys and mules in need of care and welfare, throughout the rest of the world with donkey numbers approaching 60 million we have to operate in a different manner. Our focus is to promote donkey welfare and to provide donkey health and welfare services to as many donkeys and mules as we can, as well as educating vets, vet students, adult owners and children, in how best to provide necessary care for the animals. In focussing on these main areas we improve the quality of life of the donkeys. The replacement of a donkey which provides the owner or carer and their family with transport to carry goods and basic needs like water is expensive, being a substantial part of their meagre earnings often being just enough to keep their family alive, so anything that improves the life of the donkey also benefits their lives.

Find out more by visiting our working worldwide sections for:

Work in other countries

China - we are continuing to introduce and promote the concept of donkey welfare to China through lectures to veterinary students and by providing educational materials and other small initiatives. We recently held a donkey health and welfare conference for vets of various levels from around China. Local interest is encouraging and our involvement in China is being well received by the government.

Turks and Caicos - Following an urgent call from the Turks and Caicos Islands in July 2008 we sent Andrews Trawford, our Director of Veterinary Services, to investigate the future of the free roaming donkeys that were causing a nuisance on the islands. This enabled Andrew to have discussions with local government officials and animal welfare organisations regarding problems being caused by “overcrowding” and “too many complete stallions”. An action plan was discussed but before it could be enacted Hurricane Ike destroyed much of the area and the matter took on less importance, with fences and boundaries gone the donkeys have been enjoying the freedom of the island.

We have also provided support in other country projects including; Jamaica, Peru, Gambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Nepal.