We are a Spanish based charity protecting donkeys, promoting their wellbeing in Spain and enabling those donkeys fit and able to do so to provide riding therapy to children with special needs.

Welcome to the El Refugio del Burrito website

We really do thank you for taking the time to visit our site and hope you will be able to support the work we do here in Spain. We have tried to make it as easy to navigate the site as possible and on the left hand side you will find all the information relating to our work and on the right all the ways that you can help us.

The fact that you have taken the time to visit means a lot to us and if you can make a small donation before you leave it will make such a difference to our work as we receive no government grants or other income other than donations from our supporters. If you have any suggestions for improving this site or do not find what you are looking for please leave a comment for us as we need all the feedback and help w can get.

If you would like to keep up to date with work at El Refugio del Burrito, please follow my El Refugio updates.

Once again thanks for visiting.

Job Offer - Country Manager We are looking for a dynamic, committed individual, who has the ability to demonstrate strong leadership skills to inspire and engage our team. El Refugio del Burrito (ERB), a subsidiary of The Donkey Sanctuary in the UK, is a donkey rescue charity based in Fuente de Piedra (Andalucía). We currently operate across three sites in Spain. Care and shelter is provided for over 220 rescued donkeys and mules at our headquarters at Fuente de Piedra and our second farm at Bodonal de la Sierra (Badajoz). We also have a base at Cordoba Zoo, where we provide riding therapy for children with special needs. » Read more Tourist taxi fines bring hope for Santorini donkeys Submitted by Rafael Benjumea on Tue, 25/10/2011 - 07:14 Campaign International animal welfare charity The Donkey Sanctuary is today celebrating as a new system of fines brings hope of improved conditions for donkeys and mules working as tourist taxis on the Greek island of Santorini. Andrew Judge, The Donkey Sanctuary’s Head of European Operations, explains: “The new system of fines symbolises a real breakthrough in the recognition of animal welfare on the island. After years of campaigning, and working closely with SAWA (Santorini Animal Welfare Association) and the local authorities, we recently established a code of practice in the Municipality of Fira, setting out acceptable standards of animal welfare and ensuring that only animals fit enough to work are allowed to do so. It also sets out limits on the number of donkeys and mules an operator can hire out as tourist taxis on any one day. In September we were delighted to see this code of practice enforced by fines for those who were found not to comply with this legislation which protects the welfare of these hardworking animals. » Read more El Rocío 2011 Submitted by Rafael Benjumea on Wed, 06/07/2011 - 09:23 Campaign El Refugio del Burrito was present at this year’s edition of El Rocío pilgrimage to evaluate the situation regarding the welfare of donkeys and mules at this famous festival. We have been gathering all the information to present you with a report on what we saw, and what we think could be improved. We will also be sending a letter to the Mayor of Almonte highlighting the problems and offering ideas for improvement on subsequent editions. This is the information we were able to gather: There were over 17,000 animals in Rocio during the 11th to the 13th of June (about 4000 of these were mules and 500 donkeys). Animals were arriving from all over Spain; however no controls were done, neither to see the paperwork of the animals, microchip or the general health of the animals. » Read more
A new start... Submitted by Rafael Benjumea on Thu, 12/01/2012 - 15:37 Rescue With the New Year, a new life has also begun for some donkeys and mules; the very first ones to join our big family in 2012. From Almería in South-Eastern Spain, three animals have just joined us. They are Juan, Andrea, Negrita, Rosy and Poppy. Here's a photo of them and some information on how they came to join us here at El Refugio. » Read more		The result of much work and love Submitted by Rafael Benjumea on Mon, 19/12/2011 - 13:41 Therapy Not a month ago, some workers at El Refugio del Burrito thought it nice and interesting that we participated in a Project from the Andalucian TV Station "Canal Sur Televisión", whereby anyone could send a video that would later be broadcast in the station to wish Andalucía a very merry Christmas. » Read more