Orphaned foal Milana thriving in sanctuary care

Milana was born at our Ireland sanctuary after the conclusion of one our most challenging and complex rescues in 2023, which involved 20 abandoned donkeys in Galway.

Of the donkeys rescued, four were found to be pregnant – including a donkey called Linnet.

Sadly, the neglect Linnet had endured for many years meant that she was unable to recover from her ordeal, despite receiving the best veterinary care from our team.

She passed away not long after her foal, Milana, was born.

Fortunately, our farm team was able to provide life-saving support to Milana even while her mother was alive.

The grooms bottle-fed the two-week-old foal, as Linnet was unable to produce little to no milk.

The bottle feeds were administered every three hours, and as Milana grew older and started eating solids like milk pellets, grass and haylage, the farm team gradually extended the intervals between bottle feeds.

It only took Milana a few feeds to become accustomed to the bottle. The bottle feeds continued for approximately six to eight weeks, increasing in volume as Milana gained weight to ensure her proper growth and development.

As she became stronger, the team transitioned her to a different feeding system, which they had to build themselves.

The new system helped Milana to learn to drink milk on her own, but took a few weeks for the young donkey to master as the team needed to ensure she wouldn’t overindulge and risk making herself sick or developing scour, the natural flushing process that occurs when the normal digestive processes in the lower gut are disturbed.

During this time, one of the other mares rescued in the Galway case, Starling, took Milana under her wing. She accepted Milana as one of her own foals, alongside Tweety, who was born not long after the rescue.

In July, Milana, Starling, and Tweety moved to the Garden Barn. Although they had never been housed together before, they shared a shed and yard while in the new arrivals unit, divided by gates.

This allowed the three to touch noses and become familiar with each other, while making sure that Starling would be receptive to Milana.

When they moved to the Garden Barn, this separation by the gates was maintained for a couple of weeks.

Gradually, we started leaving Milana with Tweety and Starling but supervised by staff and for short periods.

Over the course of a few weeks, we increased the time they spent together, and eventually we reached a point where they could be left together 24 hours a day. 

Now, when Milana is feeding from the milk feeder, both Tweety and Starling accompany her. The three donkeys spend all their time together, and Tweety and Milana have become best friends for life.

While the new foals bring smiles to everyone on our farms, they also highlight the ongoing challenges The Donkey Sanctuary faces with four more mouths to feed.

Cathy Griffin, Head of Donkey Welfare, explains:“In the past, we’ve tried to accommodate pregnant mares and foals on our farms, all while relentlessly aiding community-based donkeys and their keepers.

“However, we expect that four foals, who arrived after the rescue of the 20 donkeys, will be the last born on our farms for a while, as we have reached our capacity for sanctuary-based care.”