Meet the new faces at our Open Farm

Mick, Ronan, Valentine and Brown have been thriving in our new arrivals unit after a tough start and have really bonded together as companions.

We shared Mick and Ronan’s story in the winter newsletter 2021. They were discovered along with their mothers near Kenmare. Their previous owner found he could not look after them anymore after his herd grew too large due to unplanned breeding. Over the last year, Mickey and Ronan have grown into strong and healthy young donkeys.

Valentine also arrived at The Donkey Sanctuary after his owner realised he couldn’t care for him. Valentine had been given away online for free as a foal. He wasn’t with us long before he was joined by Brown, the final donkey in the herd. Brown was a lonely foal when he arrived from West Cork, having spent his first few months without his mother or a companion. Fortunately, he quickly developed a close bond with Valentine, and the two are now firm friends.

The four boys have grown very close while being looked after by our farm team. They are very playful, very friendly and love interacting with new people. Now that they have grown into strong and healthy young donkeys, they have been moved into a permanent home on our Open Farm.

​Dawn O’Connor, New Arrivals Supervisor, says: “It has been amazing to watch Mickey, Ronan, Valentine, and Brown go from being newly rescued foals to the young, healthy donkeys they are today. While we’re really sad to see them go, we know they’ll love meeting all our wonderful visitors at the Open Farm.”

If you’d like to meet our new arrivals, you can visit our Open Farm for free this winter. If you’d like to help more donkeys in need, please consider making a donation to support our Winter Appeal. All donations go towards the incredible work our teams are doing.