Donkey relinquished into our care gives birth to foal

The mare first came to our attention in the summer of 2021, when a veterinarian from the Department of Agriculture (DAFM) discovered eight very thin donkeys, six of whom had bones protruding through their coats.

David Walsh, Donkey Welfare Adviser, spoke with the owner and soon realised the group had grown in numbers due to unplanned breeding, and the owner was struggling to care for them. 

We decided to reduce the group size and to prevent further breeding by relinquishing the two mares and two foals into our care. Our welfare team continue to monitor the four donkeys that remained with the owner, and we provided advice about donkey care and nutrition. 

Increasing demand and pressure on our sanctuaries means we can only create capacity for the most vulnerable donkeys and mules, for example, foals and mares with foals.

Consequently, most of our relinquishment stories now involve foals and pregnant mares, but with your help, we will continue to raise awareness of the growing issue of unplanned breeding in the community.

Due to unplanned breeding, additional assessments revealed that both mares – later named Emily and Alina - were in foal (pregnant) once again when they arrived.

The foals we relinquished – later named Alex and Beth - were weaned from their mothers around six months of age and joined a young group of donkeys at Hannigan’s farm where they continue to thrive.

Our farms and veterinary teams have closely monitored the mares over the past year, and on a routine walk around Hannigan’s farm early in April, John Sheehan, Farm Worker/Groom, got the sweetest surprise of all.

One of the mares, Emily, had given birth to a beautiful dark brown foal. 

Declan Sexton, Head of Farms, says: “You could see the foal had only just got to her feet and was still finding her balance.

“We gave the mare and her foal time to bond and watched to make sure she started suckling. Within about half an hour, we were able to see the foal going up to her mother and getting milk.”

“When they had settled, the veterinary team came out to examine the pair to make sure they were all doing well.”

​In recent weeks, the young foal has grown stronger and stronger, and she can often be seen running around the barn while Emily stands nearby.

Your support enables us to provide this donkey with a better start in life, manage the extra cost of an additional mouth to feed, as well as deal with the increasing demand and pressure on our farms. 

We are confident that she will continue to thrive at our sanctuary in Cork, alongside Emily, Alina, Beth and Alex, all thanks to your generosity. 

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