The Donegal Donkey Sanctuary has opened its shelter to four more donkeys after a traumatic emergency rescue today.
The struggling sanctuary owners raced to the aid of the donkeys after they were found abandoned in Fermanagh.
All four donkeys were in need of urgent care after being transported from a temporary shelter to Donegal this afternoon.
They were first found near Enniskillen after trotting onto a local farmer’s yard. The farmer kindly took them in, but the panicked animals divided into two groups and two ran to another farmyard nearby.
A supporter of the Donegal Donkey Sanctuary alerted owners Danny and Sandra Curran to the donkeys’ plight and the couple liaised with the PSNI to travel to their aid.
Two of the four abandoned donkeys rescued today. Photo: Donegal Donkey Sanctuary
The donkeys were carefully rounded up and transported by horse box, but the journey turned out to be a traumatising experience and the donkeys’ troubles are not yet over, according to Sandra.
Sandra said: “Sadly one of them, whom we have called Walter, has two sarcoids on his body. These are a type of tumour which are mostly non malignant but can be very life threatening depending on where they are situated.
“I’m afraid that we are not very hopeful that Walter can be saved but will do everything that we possibly can.”
One of the abandoned donkeys rescued today. Photo: Donegal Donkey Sanctuary
Sandra added: “They need farrier attention and are settling down for the night following a very traumatising journey to the sanctuary. The journey took many hours as one in particular was very traumatised by the horse box and was causing mass panic in the other three.”
The donkeys are set to receive the best possible care at the sanctuary, which has seen a significant increase in emergency cases in recent months. The Raphoe sanctuary is home to almost 100 donkeys at any given time and the fallout of Covid19 threatens to push them into a deep financial crisis.
The sanctuary was forced to launch an appeal for donations this month to help them overcome major income losses as a result of the current crisis. They have found that worsening financial circumstances are forcing some people to give up their donkeys or, worse still, abandon them.
Almost €19,000 has been raised in the Covid-19 emergency appeal, and the Currans are hoping that their supportive community will keep the momentum going in their time of need.
Visit the Sanctuary’s GoFundMe appeal page here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ptaq8h-covid19-appeal
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