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After being contacted by The Department of Agriculture in late December, we travelled to County Mayo where we discovered six donkeys locked in a dark shed with no food or water.
There was one stallion, four mares, and one foal in the shed. As a result of years of neglect, all their hooves were extremely overgrown, and they were all very weak.
We were most concerned about the mare and her two-month-old foal that were separated from the group, and even in the dark shed, we could see they were underweight.
The Donkey Welfare Adviser in County Mayo and The Department of Agriculture’s veterinarian spoke with the owner, who agreed to relinquish the donkeys.
Due to the growing demand for donkey welfare services, we have had to modify our policy on relinquishment, which means that, when possible, we can only create capacity for the most vulnerable donkeys.
Therefore, the mare and her foal were transported to our New Arrivals unit in Liscarroll, and we collaborated with our partner animal welfare organisation, Hungry Horse Outside, to transport the stallion and three mares to their rescue facility in County Longford.
Cathy Griffin, Head of Welfare, says: “The mare and foal were in such poor health that it was crucial to provide a safe place for both to be together and have the best chance of recovery.
“The foal’s ears were drooped over her head due to constant exposure to harsh weather and malnutrition, and the mare’s long hooves required immediate attention from a farrier.
“As they arrived during the week of the winter solstice, I named the mare Solus, which means light, and her foal Mistletoe.”
At our New Arrivals unit, both Solus and Mistletoe were kept warm beneath a heat lamp and given food and water to help them recover while they settled into their new surroundings.
Stacy Tinkler, Head of Veterinary Services, says: “Solus initially struggled to maintain weight due to a long-neglected mouth condition, which prevented her from eating properly. As a result, she was unable to eat enough for two while nursing, because all her energy was going into producing milk.
“With careful attention to Solus’ diet and supplementation of her calories, she has grown stronger by the day and is now able to maintain a healthy weight.”
From a very thin and tiny donkey with drooping ears to a happy, inquisitive, and sweet donkey, Mistletoe has blossomed under the care of our New Arrivals, Veterinarian, and Farm teams.
We also continue to work with Hungry Horse Outside to offer our full support for further care and rehoming for the four donkeys we transported to their rescue site in County Longford.
We later discovered that the two mares were in foal when they arrived. Sadly, one of the mares lost her foal, which was likely due to the stress she had endured, and the other mare is being closely monitored.
Our welfare team will continue to help the increasing number of abandoned, unwanted, and neglected donkeys and mules in Ireland, however, this kind of suffering and stress can often be avoided.
Cathy discusses why it is “so important to castrate young male donkeys” to improve donkey welfare.
“When young uncastrated male donkeys are allowed to remain in a herd it can unfortunately lead to inbreeding which is something many owners would not think is possible.
“To end needless suffering, there must be a clamp-down on unplanned and irresponsible breeding, as the current over-supply of donkeys makes it much more difficult for us to tackle the donkey welfare crisis in Ireland.
“We will improve the quality of life for many more foals in the long term if we decrease the number of donkeys and mules that need our help.”
Although Mistletoe suffered months of neglect, she continues to thrive at Hannigan’s farm alongside her mother Solus thanks to your support.
A donation of just €15 will provide essential feed and nutrition for a lactating mare and her young foal for two weeks, giving hope to more donkeys like Solus and Mistletoe.
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