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The Donkey Sanctuary

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Coordinates: 50°41′50″N 3°11′26″W / 50.6973°N 3.1905°W / 50.6973; -3.1905
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Donkey Sanctuary
Founded1969
FounderElisabeth Svendsen
FocusAnimal Welfare
Location
Area served
United Kingdom
Europe
Worldwide
MethodVeterinary Care,
animal sanctuaries,
popular education
Key people
Robert Crawford, Professor Jim Duncan
Stuart W. J. Reid, John Sewell-Rutter
Bill Tetlow, Cathy Thompson
Rosalind de Wesselow
Revenue
£37m (2017)
Websitethedonkeysanctuary.org.uk

The Donkey Sanctuary is a British charitable organisation devoted to the welfare of donkeys. The charity, which is based near Sidmouth in Devon, England, was founded in 1969. It is one of the largest equine charities in the world with an annual income and expenditure of £37 million.[1][2]

History

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The Donkey Sanctuary was founded in 1969 by Elisabeth Svendsen.[3] It was registered as a charity in 1973.[4]

Svendsen was prompted to start the sanctuary following a visit to Exeter Market when she saw seven small donkeys crammed into a small pen.[5]

By 1973 Svendsen was caring for 38 donkeys. In June 1974, she received a phone call from a solicitor who was the Executor of the Estate of the late Miss Violet Philpin who had been running the Helping Hand Animal Welfare League Donkey Sanctuary near Reading, Berkshire. The solicitor explained that Svendsen had been left a legacy of 204 donkeys.[6] At that time, advertisements were appearing regularly in UK publications appealing for financial support for Violet Philpin's Donkey Sanctuary to the extent that the name Violet Philpin became very familiar in Britain with the care and welfare of donkeys.[7]

After the UK Charity Commission allowed the two charities to merge, the Donkey Sanctuary purchased Slade House Farm near Sidmouth in south Devon. [8] Since then more than 14,500 donkeys have passed through the Donkey Sanctuary's gates in the UK and Ireland. The charity operates in UK, Ireland and mainland Europe. It also conducts international operations in Africa and Asia.

In 1980 Svendsen was made an MBE for her services to animal welfare.[9]

In 2010, the charity faced re-homing problems as a result of the recession. It made an appeal for people to volunteer to provide foster homes for its donkeys.[10]

The Donkey Sanctuary is managed by seven trustees who are responsible for the charity, its assets and activities. In 2011, the Donkey Sanctuary founder Elisabeth Svendsen died aged 81.[11]

Animal welfare

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Europe

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The Donkey Sanctuary also provides a permanent home to more than 4,000 donkeys. Currently there are sanctuaries, holding bases and foster homes in nine European countries: United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Spain.

Many donkeys arrive at the charity because they are unwanted or have been neglected. But others are donated because of health reasons, companionship or the owner's circumstances have changed. More than 40 welfare officers offer advice and support to donkeys owners throughout the UK. They also investigate reports of cruelty or neglect, monitor markets and fairs selling equines and check the well-being of all working donkeys. As part of this work, the charity organises an annual competition to find the best beach donkeys. In 2009 the winner was the town of Filey.[12]

Worldwide

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A feeding shelter, established by the Donkey Sanctuary in 1987, in Lamu, Kenya.

The sanctuary operates major projects in Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, and Mexico. Support in these countries includes free mobile veterinary clinics and education for donkey owners, children and veterinary surgeons and students. By funding local teams including veterinary surgeons and education officers, the charity administered over 300,000 treatments to working donkeys annually.

During their visit to a mobile clinic, the donkeys are given a full health check. Their teeth and hooves are tended and wounds are treated. Free advice and support is also given to their owners. Mobile clinics are fully equipped with all the veterinary supplies needed to treat most donkeys on-site.

Common problems for donkeys arriving at the clinics include signs of exhaustion, malnutrition and ailments of the teeth and feet. Donkeys may also be infested with worms or lice or have open wounds caused by poor harnessing or whipping. Injuries from road traffic accidents are also increasingly common and in some areas, terrible wounds can be inflicted by packs of dogs or hyenas, particularly to young foals. In Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Kenya and Mexico, the Donkey Sanctuary provides services in remote areas with high donkey populations.[13]

International Donkey Week

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Every year The Donkey Sanctuary holds this unique event, many local accommodation providers participate in the event (contributing a donation to the sanctuary) when people come from far and wide to participate in the week long program of activities.[14]

Educational work

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The charity trains vets, vet students and animal health assistants within project countries to improve the treatment given to donkeys. Its book The Professional Handbook of the Donkey is sent to vets throughout the world. Overseas teams have also developed a children's donkey welfare education programme that includes puppet shows, talks, cartoon sheets and story books. Its purpose is to make children learn more about the basic welfare and needs of donkeys.

Donkey Assisted Activities

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In 1989 the Elisabeth Svendsen Trust for Children and Donkeys was established to assist children with special needs lead a fuller life through interaction with donkeys.[15] In August 2012, the trust merged with The Donkey Sanctuary, allowing the charity to expand its services while reducing administrative costs.[16]

Following the merger, the charity has adopted the term Donkey Assisted Activities (DAA) to encompass its programs, which include Donkey Facilitated Learning, Donkey Management Programme, and Wellbeing With Donkeys.[17] These programs are offered at the sanctuary in Sidmouth, Devon, and cater to diverse clients, such as individuals with dementia, armed forces veterans, and staff from other charities.[18][19][20]

Slade House Farm

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The main headquarters of the Donkey Sanctuary in Devon is open to the public 365 days a year from 9.00am to dusk with free admission and parking. The charity estimates that more than 200,000 people visited the site in 2009.[21] Donkeys of all ages live at the farm but a large percentage are elderly animals that remain there in order to be close to the veterinary hospital.

In 2009 a film entitled The Donkey Sanctuary, 40 years on... was produced and narrated by Elisabeth Svendsen.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "264818 - The Donkey Sanctuary - Data for financial year ending 31 December 2017". Charity Commission for England and Wales. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Animal views". The Washington Post. 16 August 2010. Archived from the original on 25 August 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  3. ^ Svendsen, Elisabeth (1981). Down among the donkeys. Pan Books Ltd. pp. 36–37. ISBN 033026316 1.
  4. ^ "Charity Details: The Donkey Sanctuary". Charity Commission for England and Wales. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  5. ^ Svendsen, Elisabeth (1981). Down among the donkeys. Pan Books Ltd. pp. 38–39. ISBN 0 330 26316 1.
  6. ^ Svendsen, Elisabeth (1993). For the love of donkeys. Whittet Books Ltd. p. 8. ISBN 187358010X.
  7. ^ Philpin, Violet (17 December 1973). "The Donkey Sanctuary". Evening Times. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  8. ^ Svendsen, Elisabeth (1993). For the love of donkeys. Whittet Books Ltd. p. 8. ISBN 187358010X.
  9. ^ Svendsen, Elisabeth Doreen, Mrs. (31 December 1980). "M.B.E.: To be Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order". The London Gazette. Retrieved 18 June 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Walrond, Jenny (26 July 2010). "Donkey sanctuary inundated as recession bites". BBC News Online. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  11. ^ Lacey, Hester (24 May 2011). "Elisabeth Svendsen obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  12. ^ "The best donkeys in Britain". Filey Mercury. Johnston Press. 31 October 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  13. ^ Kazungu, Kalume (26 June 2021). "Meet Lamu female scholar who hung Master's degree to care for donkeys". Nation. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Events". The Donkey Sanctuary. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  15. ^ "The Elisabeth Svendsen Trust for Children and Donkeys". The Charity Commission, Central Register of Charities for England and Wales. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  16. ^ "Elizabeth Svendsen Trust and Donkey Sanctuary Merge". Sidmouth Herald, 29 August 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  17. ^ "Donkey Assisted Activities". The Donkey Sanctuary. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  18. ^ "Donkeys create 'happy moments' during dementia-friendly Honiton Memory Cafe visit". East Devon News, 11th June 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  19. ^ "Armed Forces veterans volunteer at The Donkey Sanctuary". Your Horse, 8th October 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  20. ^ "Role Reversal: Devon donkeys provide wellbeing for equine welfare officers". Vet Click, 18th Jan 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  21. ^ "Annual Review 2009" (PDF). The Donkey Sanctuary. 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  22. ^ The Donkey Sanctuary. "Trustees Report And Accounts 2017" (PDF).
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50°41′50″N 3°11′26″W / 50.6973°N 3.1905°W / 50.6973; -3.1905

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