Europe updates
Nana's last lullaby
Nana was a very special donkey, almost a miracle. Her life, a succession of owners and lack of care, a totally inappropriate existence for such a gentle, beautiful animal. In her 11 years of age she had 16 different owners, the last of which had exchanged her for a moped.
Heart-breaking decision to relinquish
Back in 1977, a beautiful, dark-chestnut coloured little mule was born. The beauty of his coat pretty much determined his name: he would be called Castaño Oscuro Spanish for "dark chestnut").
With a spoonful of sugar...
She arrived to us when the wind changed... on a rather supercalifragilisticexpialidocious day. It was stormy, rainy and thundery all around, when our welfare officer and our driver collected our very own, and practically perfect, Mary Poppins from her former home in the mountains just behind Loja, in Granada.
Hope never dies
It is with a heavy heart that from El Refugio del Burrito we have to communicate to all supporters and visitors that Hope, one of our most beloved donkeys passed away last Saturday 21st August 2010 after losing her battle to severe liver problems aged 30.
We can say without a doubt she was the most popular out of all our donkeys, being one of the most terrible cases of cruelty we have had to face over these years, and one of the most gentle donkeys we’ve ever had.
Originally named Makedonia, she arrived here in 2003 after being brutally attacked by teenagers in Greece, where she came from. They trespassed into her field, cut off her ears with a knife and ripped off her back with the blade of a shovel. A local vet did the urgent treatments for such terrible wounds until a Donkey Sanctuary team came to the rescue. Back then, El Refugio del Burrito in Spain was the nearest refuge she could be taken into, so she travelled to a holding base in France where she stayed until she was fit enough to continue her journey to her new home.
It's IRDA's first birthday: come and join us!
Mark your calendar: on the 22nd of August, from 2 pm, IRDA will celebrate its 1st birthday with a big party open to all our friends and full of games and surprises. A special edition of "Grooming Day" will be held too.
And the winners are...
One month after their birth we are proud to announce the names for the foals, drawn today and witnessed by our Director of European Operations, Mr Paul A. Svendsen. They are ... Ruby and Ryan.
Congratulations to R. Bowles (who named Ryan) and G. Burley (who named Ruby). You are now the unique sponsors of these two little miracles for a whole year!
We would like to express our further gratitude to all those of you who kindly participated and gave us a donation for a chance to name the foals and get a unique one year sponsorship for them.
Educating Puyol
Puyol (Rescued from Murcia) is a rather feisty stallion who had built himself a rather dubious reputation for attacking and biting people… but all that is about to change as he has now moved to his new home in Fuente de Piedra, where he will be given the best possible care… and a good chance to improve his manners!
Milly and Apple are our first fostered donkeys
Our first two donkeys has been fostered: it's Milly and Apple, two young lovely donkeys who had left IRDA on the 22nd of June and went to their new home.
Their new "parents" are deeply in love with them already; Milly and Apple are treated like princesses and enjoy their well deserved cuddles. They have a big green meadow at their disposal and have already made friends with the Newfoundland puppy who lives nearby.
Catalonia bans the bullfight
Our mission here at El Refugio del Burrito is mainly concerned with the welfare of donkeys and mules in Spain, but as an animal welfare organisation we are against any form of animal cruelty or mistreatment.
Yesterday, the Catalonian Parliament voted after an ILP (People’s Initiative for Legislation) promoted by animal welfare organizations , The Prou! (enough!) Platform, in particular. This initiative was admitted for voting in the Catalunian Parliament to pass a modification of Animal protection Law in Catalunya to derogue the exception written in the law for bullfighting.
Terrified donkey thrown to the sky tethered to a parasail
The following statement has been produced by The Donkey Sanctuary in response to the press coverage surrounding donkey cruelty in Russia.
Statement
We are absolutely shocked and appalled to learn that a donkey was made to parasail over a beach resort in Russia last week as part of an advertising publicity stunt.
The donkey was strapped to the parasail and catapulted into the sky and would have been severely distressed, fearful and traumatised during the 30-minute flight. Donkeys are sensitive creatures and prone to suffer with a fatal condition called hyperlipaemia (a stress-related illness); we therefore have serious concerns over the present health of this donkey.
Parasailing donkey stunt sparks police inquiry
The following statement has been produced by The Donkey Sanctuary in response to the press coverage surrounding donkey cruelty in Russia.
Statement
We are absolutely shocked and appalled to learn that a donkey was made to parasail over a beach resort in Russia last week as part of an advertising publicity stunt.
Donkey cruelty in Russia
The following statement has been produced by The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth,UK in response to the press coverage surrounding donkey cruelty in Russia.
Statement:
We are absolutely shocked and appalled to learn that a donkey was made to parasail over a beach resort in Russia last week as part of an advertising publicity stunt.
Parasailing donkey stunt sparks police inquiry
The following statement has been produced by The Donkey Sanctuary in response to the press coverage surrounding donkey cruelty in Russia.
Welcome home, Puyol!
Our work here at El Refugio del Burrito is not only collecting donkeys, but researching new cases and offering our help. Last month we heard news of a donkey that had attacked 2 people whilst he was loose on a road called ‘Carretera de Santa Catalina’ in Murcia, he had bitten a woman on the face and arm and then later had attacked a man whilst he was trying to capture him. The donkey was eventually captured and then taken to the local pound where he had to stay until the owner was found.
A chance to name our latest foals and adopt for a year for just €5
These two beautiful foals were both born just before 1st July 2010; their mothers were rescued by us already pregnant. For just €5 you have the unique chance to name one of our foals or for €10 both!
One of the foals is a strong male and the other one a pretty mare. If your name is picked from the hat on 1st August 2010 you will be the proud and only adopter of the foal for its first year of life.
Two births to celebrate 7th Anniversary
Coinciding with the week when we celebrate our 7th anniversary as an association in Spain, two of the pregnant mares we took in last year have given birth, which adds to the joy of celebrating our continuous work in this country for the past years.
Staff at El Refugio del Burrito have been eagerly waiting for the foaling of two pregnant mares, Romera and Romina, that were taken in last year from Cádiz.
Volunteers bring colour to ERB!
Last weekend was a very special one here at ERB. A small bunch of volunteers from around the country gathered at our Fuente de Piedra farm to paint stables, and get them ready for our newcomers.
Early on Saturday morning, although already quite warm in the Spanish sunshine, they all got together, led by our General Manager, Iván.
And the winner is... Quasar!
Finally the latest foal born at IRDA, Poldo and Silvia’s foal, has found his name: the winner of the contest to find it is Sabrina, and the name drawn at the end of our Grooming Day is Quasar, "the most luminous object in the universe"! And we wish little Quasar a bright future, just like his name.
Adoption saves Markos from being shot
A young woman, who lives in the village of Agios Ioannis Agros, contacted us as she had heard that a donkey owner was going to shoot or abandon his donkey as he could no longer look after it. She told the owner about the sanctuary and he then rang us to ask if we would take the donkey. On 9th June 2010 we went to collect Markos. The owner didn’t really want to shoot or abandon Markos – it was just that he couldn’t afford or manage to look after him anymore and thought he had no other option.
Theatre weekends with the play "L’Asina deve partorire ma l’asinello non ne vuol sapere di nascere”
Unusual role for IRDA: it will become the stage for “L’Asina deve partorire ma l’asinello non ne vuol sapere di nascere” (“The Donkey must give birth, but the Little Donkey is not going to come to life”) play.
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