A second chance for geriatric donkey abandoned in the countryside
The joint efforts of El Refugio del Burrito, Utrera’s Town Hall and its adopter have given a new life to an abandoned geriatric donkey.
Wandering around the countryside, without food or water and with overgrown hooves. This is how the local police found a donkey, about 30 years old, abandoned in Utrera.
After trying to identify it, the donkey was taken to the zoosanitary centre in Alcalá de Guadaira. It was then when Encarnación, a councillor in Utrera Town Council, contacted El Refugio del Burrito asking for help.
The Donkey Welfare team at El Refugio del Burrito immediately started working to find an adoption home. After an intense research, they found the ideal adopter in a nearby town: Francisco, who had experience with equines and did not mind giving a home and shelter to a geriatric donkey.
The Town Hall of Utrera paid for the cost of trimming the donkey's hooves and castration. Once recovered, El Refugio del Burrito mobilised its team to transport the donkey from the zoosanitary centre to its forever home.
Zapatones (big shoes in Spanish), as Francisco affectionately called him due to the length of his hooves when he was found, now lives happily in the company of another donkey of the same age. When he first arrived he was a little shy, but little by little Francisco has gained his trust and affection and now he is one more of the family.
"Zapatones has been very lucky to find a home like Francisco's" - Andrea Torreño, Donkey Welfare Adviser.
This year there are 127 donkeys, who like Zapatones, need to find a home so far. The reasons vary from abandonment, uncontrolled breeding, moving house, financial problems or death of the owner among others. That is why during the adoption process we make sure that the adopters understand all that is involved in owning donkeys.
We would like to thank all the parties involved for their cooperation and effort. Had it not been posible without Encarnación's concern for animal welfare and Francisco's generosity, Zapatones' story could have been very different.
