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News
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Spanish Donkey Rescue give donkeys a chance for happy lives & second careers (December 13, 2008)
Today I had a newsletter from the El Refugio del Burrito - a subsidiary
of the Donkey Sanctuary in southern Spain near Fuente de Piedra & the stunning Flamingo Lake. My hubby and I visited El Refugio del Burrito back in
April this year and it was a really lovely visit. It does show the importance
& value of heading off the beaten track - we were staying in Malaga
and the sanctuary is north of that - and visiting these places.
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We strolled around El Refugio at our leisure. It was great to see so many donkeys, happy in their surroundings, safe from cruelty & harm - and all happy to meet us.
Adopt a donkey!
We spent some money in the gift shop, buying notelets, a book and, of
course, adopting a donkey. It just cost a minimum of 15.00 euros per
donkey a year. You can do this over the internet for yourself as a gift, paying by bank account, credit card or in the post.
It was difficult to choose which donkey to adopt, as they are all so
special. Leon had been rescued with thirteen other miniature donkeys
from Naples Zoo; Farruquito had been abandoned near Nerja. Romero had
worked all his life as a Mijas donkey taxi and in fact was the first
donkey to be relinquished to El Burrito. | |
Working to improve donkey welfare
El
Refugio del Burrito is involved works to improve donkeys welfare in
Spain on several levels: to ensure that donkeys are not mistreated and
sold at market; and to improve the welfare of those donkeys involved in
the taxi business.
It is also taking legal action to stop the
participation of donkey in the festival
of Pero Palo which takes place in Villanueva de la Vera. During this
festival, the drunkest person there rides one poor little donkey, to be
subected to cruel and degrading treatment, through the streets for an
hour. You can find out more and how you can help stop this treatment here. |
Adopt Bienvenida
and your kindness will pay for 2 donkey therapy sessions.
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Second careers in donkey assisted therapy!
Several of the donkeys - the strong & gentle Norman, Estrella,
Lucky & Bienvenida - assist with the donkey therapy work El Refugio
del Burrito does at Cordoba Zoo. Support and help from the Elisabeth
Svendsen Trust (whose donkeys do similar work in the UK) and Cordoba's
City Council mean that the first Donkey Riding Therapy Centre is a
reality.
Cordoba Zoo thus now has a riding arena with adapted access, adapted
ranks to faciliate mounting, an activity set for the arena, comfortable
stabling for the donkeys & a play area for the children.
All the
associations, schools & charities that work in Cordoba regarding
special needs have taken up the opportunity to get actively involved in
the project - giving pleasure to children and attention to the
donkeys! A round of applause for Cordoba City Council for being open minded to the idea of animal assisted therapy.
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Volunteer - get active with donkeys!
Volunteers as with every charity play a critical role in keeping El
Refugio del Burrito going. Donations, too, are essential. I was
interested to read of two volunteers, Anna & Brian, who spent a
couple of weeks at El Refugio del Burrito, mucking out, clearing
paddocks, putting upright wheelbarrows that donkeys had tipped over
(mischievous, eh!), nursing duties & grooming all featured as part
of the day. And of course they had time for cuddles and quiet chats
with their new-found four legged friends.
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| It's always worth going the extra mile on holiday
We enjoyed our visit to El Refugio del Burrito very much. We left with warm hearts and
that feel good factor which can only come from reaching out to others,
and see what is being done. I guess the morale of this tail is that
when you head off on holiday, leave the tourist sites to the tourists
and go deeper into your local community. Find the nearest animal
sanctuary you can - and see what they are up to and how you can
contribute. It will make your holiday far more meaningful and
memorable. You'll bring a part of the place home with you!
By the
way, we finally chose to adopt shy litle Erica, who was rescued from a
meat market in Northern Spain. She is now living a happy life with El
Refugio del Burrito.
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All photos from El Refugio del Burrito's site.
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