Home for Christmas: sanctuary at last for donkeys following charity’s largest UK rescue

More than 80 donkeys now have a home for life after being officially signed into the care of The Donkey Sanctuary, marking the legal conclusion of the animal welfare charity’s largest ever UK rescue.

The historic rescue took place in the midst of the Covid pandemic on a cold, winter’s day in February 2021. It was a complex, multi-agency operation involving the RSPCA, The Donkey Sanctuary and the Police, with support from equine welfare charities Redwings, World Horse Welfare, British Horse Society and Bransby Horses.

Over 70 donkeys were rescued from a farm in Wales and placed into the care of The Donkey Sanctuary’s dedicated and expert staff.

The donkeys involved were in varying degrees of distress with many suffering from complications associated with badly overgrown hooves and unsanitary living conditions. Many in the group, which included twenty pregnant mares, required urgent veterinary, farriery and dental care – all of which were provided by The Donkey Sanctuary.

The transfer of legal ownership to The Donkey Sanctuary this week ends almost three years of legal proceedings and means all the donkeys involved, including the foals born after the rescue, can now be assured of a safe home for life.

Those that require specialist, lifelong treatment will remain at The Donkey Sanctuary while for the others, this legal milestone means they can now begin in earnest their journey toward finding forever homes through the charity’s Rehoming Scheme.

Hannah Bryer, Head of Welfare at The Donkey Sanctuary said: “This rescue is a fantastic example of multiple organisations working together to ensure the best long-term outcome for the donkeys.

“Accommodating such a large number of donkeys at short notice was not an easy task but teams from across The Donkey Sanctuary came together without question to ensure we could offer a place of safety when these donkeys needed us most.”

Faith Burden, Executive Director of Equine Operations at The Donkey Sanctuary added: “This is a great outcome for the donkeys involved in what is the largest UK rescue The Donkey Sanctuary has undertaken in its 54-year history. Although they have been in our care since the day of the rescue, protracted legal proceedings meant the future of many of the donkeys was in limbo. The court ruling that all donkeys involved should remain in our care is a huge relief to our staff and supporters.

"To have secured a safe future for these donkeys is thanks to the close collaboration of a number of agencies, who came together at a time of utmost urgency.

“Of course, it wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support of the people who enable The Donkey Sanctuary to carry out the work that we do, so we can be there for donkeys who are most in need”.