Outreach visits started in May to provide farrier, dental and general care and advice to donkey owners on the island. Sadly, the numbers of true working village donkeys are declining but there are still several very elderly owners and donkeys working out on the land every day.
The saddle pads and equipment used on the donkeys is often between 50 and 100 years old and it’s extremely rare for the wooden frames on top of the pad to cause any sores or pressure points.
In our winter newsletter we mentioned Fytos who arrived with quite a lot of health problems. A 30 year old stallion, he was extremely underweight due to severe dental problems, had a respiratory problem and large infected wound on his hindquarters caused by Magpies. The poor old boy was in a very sorry state but we soon learned he had a tough, determined nature. After sorting out the problems with his teeth, tending to his wound and slowly increasing his food, he had a new lease of energy.
With almost 100 donkeys to take care for and many others that we help in Cyprus through our Welfare and Outreach work, we're always extremely grateful for any help of a practical nature. During the spring some of our wonderful supporters have certainly done that.
We're sure those of you who knew Lorraine will be as devastated as we were when our dear sweet lady suddenly passed away in April. Only the day before, she was happy and looking very well, enjoying the sun and her tea time feed.
Many of you will know the story of how Lorraine came to us in 2002 with some horrendous wounds caused by being deliberately stabbed. Despite her ordeal she made a full recovery and proved to be the most forgiving, kind natured donkey. Gentle and loving, she always loved being around people.
Shakira had worked at a trekking centre and the owner contacted us as he was concerned about her health. At almost 30 years of age, the mare had developed arthritis and was finding it difficult to walk comfortably. She also had some dental problems, was losing weight and her front hooves were growing at a strange angle.
The owner asked if we could take her as he knew we could give her the intensive treatment she needed, and so off we went to collect her towards the end of last year.
We first met Napoleon in 2014 during our Outreach Programme. A big strong donkey, he was so nervous about being handled that he really didn't want us to catch him or even trim his long and twisted hooves. Although we managed to calm him so that we could do the vital work on his poor hooves, when the owner asked us last year if he could relinquish Napoleon to us, we were a little concerned how he would cope with going in the trailer and moving to a new environment.
Dear Bobby was originally a village working donkey before he was purchased by a trekking centre in the Paphos District.
As he was getting old and beginning to have a few health problems, the trekking centre owner rang us to ask if we could give him a well-deserved retirement and the special care he needed.
Obviously we said yes and so in April we took our trailer to collect him. Clearly used to being around a lot of people over the years and receiving lots of fuss and attention, he went straight on to the trailer as if he was going on an adventure.
We'd met Frixos, a young stallion, before where he lived at a large garden centre. At the time he had some rather horrid fly bites on his legs which we treated and explained to his carers how to take care of the problem.
Earlier this year we were asked to go and see Frixos as the owner and staff noticed that the flies were attacking his legs again.
El Refugio del Burrito, The Donkey Sanctuary’s Spanish Sanctuary, works to improve the living conditions of Spanish donkeys in need and takes action following reports of abuse. In the village of Mijas (Málaga, Spain) donkeys are used as a tourist attraction, carrying passengers and luggage.
We think you’ll all agree that Giorgio Armani is a very handsome lad. Giorgio was his original name and he is 20 years old. Once a working donkey, he had later been taken on by a lady as a pet and friend to her rescue horse. Unfortunately her circumstances changed and she had to find new homes for both animals and contacted us asking if we could take Giorgio as she had found a home for her horse.
