While on your holiday, be a responsible tourist and put yourself ‘In Their Hooves.’
Donkeys and mules are put to work in tourism all over the world, whether used as taxis, for treks or to carry luggage. While The Donkey Sanctuary does not activelypromote the use of donkeys and mules in any form of tourism we do understand their importance in helping thousands of people to earn a living.
One year more, we attended the annual Peropalo festival in Villanueva de la Vera, Spain which occurs every Shrove Tuesday. Unfortunately, we were hugely disappointed to witness an hour-long barrage of abuse and cruelty inflicted on Bernabe.
We have secured the safety of three donkeys who were left in darkness to suffer alongside many other desperate and dying animals in a “farm of horrors”. We responded to a tip-off about the farm in Bormujos, Sevilla, and we were horrified by what we found.
“The smell of death was devastating,” said Veronica Sanchez, sanctuary director. “Two horses were in an advanced state of decomposition and there were a multitude of bones from many animals scattered all over the ground. Next to this cemetery, other animals were still alive but had no food or water.”
Jasmin could barely walk due to the lenght of her hooves. She has been neglected for 13 years when we came to her rescue earlier this year.
A citizen from Monturque (Cordoba) called us very worry about the situation of this poor donkey.
Jasmin's hooves were so overgrown that she could barely walk and her life was at risk.
In this video you can see her progress.
Jasmin is now at our Sanctuary, she is enjoying her trimmed hooves and her new life. She can finally walk, run and be happy.
This image was taken in Segorbe (Castellon, Spain) on 10th of March, when El Refugio del Burrito got an anonymous call reporting the terrible physical condition of this animal. The owner (apparently suffering from Diogenes syndrome) usually makes him pull a cart full of scrap from town to town.
This two- day course combines the latest knowledge about caring for donkeys with practical hands on experience. This course is a great introduction to the wonderful world of donkeys. The course will cover: Stable and pasture management, signs of ill health, basic training, feeding, grooming and handling.
The course will be presential in our holding base in Brunete, Madrid.
Dates: 4 & 5 March 2017
Times:
Saturday 4th March: 10am- 5pm
Sunday 5th March: 10am- 2pm
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How to get there:
A man has been sentenced to three months in prison and one year of disqualification from working with animals for abandoning and failing to give vet care to his donkey, thus causing its death.
In June 2015, El Refugio del Burrito (ERDB) investigated the case and reported the donkey’s owner after being informed of its situation.
During the first half of 2016, El Refugio del Burrito responded to an unprecedented number of cases.
We have won the lawsuit against a man that kept close to 40 equines in terrible condition in Callosa de Segura, Spain. For the first time in the history of El Refugio del Burrito, we obtain a jail sentence for animal abuse. The man has been convicted to 9 months of prison and disqualified to own or work with animals for three years. Besides, we have now become the official owners of the rescued donkeys and mules in the frame of this investigation.
During the first half of 2016, El Refugio del Burrito (The Donkey Sanctuary in Spain) has attended an unprecedented number of cases, including the rescue of close to 100 donkeys in Cáceres, last February. With the arrival of these animals - and other 40 coming from different operations against animal cruelty and abandonment - the capacity of our sanctuaries is, at the moment, approaching its limit.
We have beaten the occupation record with 361 donkeys and mules living in our sanctuaries. Most of them enjoy a safe environment for the first time in their lives.
