Suffering donkeys rescued from a Worcestershire field

Six donkeys from Worcestershire who were severely underweight and suffering from overgrown hooves have been rescued by the international animal welfare charity, The Donkey Sanctuary.

During the coronavirus lockdown the charity is still responding to urgent welfare concerns. When they received a call from a member of the public, Donkey Welfare Adviser Georgia McCormick visited the donkeys’ field near Malvern. On her arrival, she found six donkeys; one stallion and five mares, all with overgrown feet and the majority of them were underweight.

Inside their field shelter, their bedding was covered in mud and faeces and their hay was long past its best. It was also clear to the Donkey Welfare Adviser that some of the donkeys were not used to human contact, so it required patience and compassionate handling for them to be fitted with head collars so the vet could examine the donkeys and determine if they were fit to travel.

Georgia McCormick, Donkey Welfare Adviser at The Donkey Sanctuary said: “On arrival, I could see the group were in very poor body condition and some of their basic needs weren’t being met. They clearly needed urgent farrier attention to trim their feet and alleviate any suffering their overgrown hooves were causing them.”

As a result of working with other agencies and the owner of the donkeys, it was decided it would be in the best interest of the animals if they were placed into the permanent care of The Donkey Sanctuary.

To help plan for their future care, blood and dung samples were collected from each of the donkeys, and within hours, the donkeys were removed from the site and transported to a local holding base, as the vet deemed they were unfit to travel to The Donkey Sanctuary’s international headquarters in Sidmouth, Devon.

At the holding base, the group received further veterinary care, and were put on an appropriate diet as the majority were underweight. The state of their feet was also a major concern, and using x-rays as a guide, the farrier was able to provide remedial care and begin the task of trimming their hooves.

All of the rescued donkeys will now be given a safe and loving home for life, either in one of the charity’s sanctuaries or in one of its Guardian Homes through The Donkey Sanctuary’s Rehoming scheme.

The Donkey Sanctuary is a global leader for equine welfare, research and veterinary care. The charity operates programmes worldwide for animals working in agriculture, industry and transportation.