A warm welcome after a challenging start 

At the start of 2023 The Donkey Sanctuary Ireland was called in to help with one of our most complex welfare cases to date; the rescue and rehoming of a group of 20 abandoned donkeys in Galway. 

On arrival our Welfare team discovered four pregnant mares and three foals in the group. They were all extremely weak after struggling in such poor conditions. Their long, painful hooves were making it difficult to walk across the boggy terrain, and they had no food or shelter. 

Despite a difficult start, all four mares - Starling, Linnet, Dove and Skylark – gave birth to healthy foals.  

Our new arrivals are called Tweety, Milana, Sora and Bluebird. Sora and Bluebird are thriving under the care of our New Arrivals Unit with their mothers Dove and Skylark, while Milana and Tweety are now happy in their new surroundings at Hannigan’s Farm.  

Sadly, Milana’s mother, Linnet, passed away not long after she was born. Her health never recovered after suffering years of neglect.  

Fortunately, Tweety’s mother, Starling, has taken Milana under her wing and has accepted her as one of her own foals. Now, when Milana is feeding from the milk feeder, both Tweety and Starling go with her. The three donkeys spend all their time together and Tweety and Milana have become best friends for life.  

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 The three foals who were rescued in Galway - Sparrow, Goldfinch and Wren - are also doing well.  

While the new foals are making everyone on our farms smile, they are also a reminder of the ongoing challenges The Donkey Sanctuary Ireland faces. Cathy Griffin, Head of Donkey Welfare, explains:

“In the past, we’ve tried to accommodate pregnant mares and foals on our farms, all while relentlessly supporting donkeys in the community and their owners. However, we expect that these four foals will be the last born on our farms for a while, as we have reached our capacity for sanctuary-based care.” 

The Galway operation was a particularly difficult case for The Donkey Sanctuary’s welfare teams. In total, 15 donkeys were rescued and rehomed by our welfare advisers. Sadly, four donkeys had to be euthanised on-site on health and welfare grounds, and one donkey had already passed away when our team arrived.  

While the Galway case might mark the last of new donkeys entering our care for the foreseeable future, our commitment to offering support and education to donkey owners across Ireland remains the same. 

If you’d like to help donkeys like Milana, Tweety, Sora and Bluebird have the best chance in life, why not become a regular giver? Just €3 per month helps to keep our welfare teams on the road.

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