FAQs

A: The Donkey Sanctuary receives no government funding, so your donations are absolutely vital to our work. You can donate to The Donkey Sanctuary online or by cheque (made payable to “The Donkey Sanctuary”).

A: When you donate, your money helps us to look after over 7,000 donkeys living in our ten sanctuaries across the UK and the rest of Europe, and provide those in need with all the help they need. Without you help, donkeys like Tommy and Timmy would be subjected to a lifetime of cruelty. Your money will also help to fund various projects that help to improve the lives of donkeys and people worldwide, as well as vitally important work like our Stop the Slaughter campaign. If you would like more in-depth information about how our donations are spent, please take a look at our report and accounts.

A: You can find plenty of important information you’ll need about looking after your donkey in our resources for owners. If you have a specific enquiry, please complete our contact form. If your enquiry is urgent, please contact your vet.

A: Advice on donkey nutrition is available to read and download. For advice on donkey nutrition please complete our online contact form.

A: If you have concerns over your donkey’s health, always consult your vet. If you would like some advice over a non-urgent matter, please complete our online contact form.

A: We would recommend that you need a minimum of one acre of land to keep a pair of donkeys.

A: The average cost of keeping a pair of donkeys could be in the region of £2,000 per year. Elderly donkeys or those with health problems could cost considerably more. We recommend that new donkey owners participate in our online training courses to learn more about the responsibilities that come with owning a donkey. For more information, please take a look at our cost of owning a donkey guide.

A: It’s important to prepare and plan ahead for the winter. As a donkey’s coat is not waterproof, proper shelter must be provided. It’s best to remember that winter care is about helping your donkey withstand the lower temperature and stay healthy, rather than shutting them away completely. Advice on how to properly care for your donkey through the colder months of the year is available on our winter care resource.

A: Young and healthy donkeys are unlikely to need a rug in the winter as their coat will naturally thicken as daylight hours shorten. Old or sick donkeys, however, may struggle to maintain body heat during the colder months, and a rug as well as other measures should be considered. You can find more information on our winter care factsheet.

A: For advice on where to buy any of your donkey supplies or equipment, it’s best to contact us.

A: If you currently own or care for donkeys or mules and are having problems, please contact our welfare advice line on 01395 578222, Monday-Friday 8.30am-4.30pm to speak to our experience team.

Alternatively, please contact our welfare team who can discuss your future donkey care needs in more detail.

A: If you would like an update on your relinquished donkey during the new arrivals period, please call our admissions team on 01395 578222 or use our online contact form.

Once this period is complete and you have been notified that your donkey has moved to one of our farms, please contact our farms admin team on 01395 578222 for any updates.

A: You are more than welcome to visit donkeys by appointment once they have completed their settling in period and moved away from the new arrivals unit. You can arrange your visit by calling our farms admin team on 01395 578222 or by contacting us online.

A: If you are concerned about the welfare of a donkey in the UK, please contact our welfare team or call 01395 578222.

A: If you feel that you could provide a loving home for a pair of rescue donkeys and have at least an acre of land to spare, take a look at our Rehoming Scheme for more information.

A: If you are interested in joining us, check our current vacancies online.

A: We’re always looking for enthusiastic people to contribute to our work. As long as you’re over 16, passionate about donkeys and have regular free time you can offer us, we’d love to hear from you. Take a look at our volunteer opportunities.

A: Yes. To get started with your fundraiser, please register your details with our team. Once completed, you’ll be able to download our fundraising pack, full of useful ideas and information to make your fundraiser one to remember.

Yes. Providing that you are over the age of 18, you can take part in our Weekly Lottery. Please head to our Weekly Lottery website for full details.

A: Yes. If you would like to send us your used postage stamps, pop them in an envelope addressed to: The Donkey Sanctuary (Used Stamps), Sidmouth, Devon, EX10 0NU.

A: Yes. Take a look at our fabulous range of donkey gifts for all the family in our online gift shop.

A: Yes, although a postage charge of £10 will be added for gift shop orders shipped to Europe, and a £20 charge for orders shipped to the rest of the world.

A: Our different coloured donkey collars indicate the gender of our donkeys and whether they require any additional care. For more information, take a look at our handy collar guide.

A: We have a strict no breeding policy at The Donkey Sanctuary. If it is safe to do so, all stallions that come into our care are castrated before being allowed to live alongside mares. However, as we will never turn away a donkey in need of a home, we do take pregnant mares and foals into our care.

Please order by Monday 16 December to receive your adoption pack in time for Christmas, although if you adopt after this date you can download a printable adoption certificate from your confirmation email and we will aim to get your adoption pack to you or your recipient as soon as possible. Please be aware that we use the Royal Mail service, and delivery timescales are subject to any delays that they may be experiencing.

When adoption donkeys retire or pass away, we remove them from the website as we are no longer taking adoptions for them.

Many of the donkeys who have retired from the adoption scheme over the past few years have been moved to their forever homes or have sadly passed away. You can still visit retired adoption donkey Pooh who lives at our Sidmouth sanctuary. Shocks and Harbin have moved to our Derbyshire sanctuary who have a limited number of open days a year, find our more information.

Adopting a donkey is a fantastic way to help support our donkeys. It couldn’t be more simple - you can adopt a donkey online.

There are many wonderful donkeys across available for you to adopt. We have the perfect match for you or a loved one – there are shy ones, fun-loving ones, brave ones and gentle donkeys, all waiting for you to adopt. Why not take a look at our group of adoption donkeys?