Merrier times ahead for Cornwall donkeys

Rosie, Maggie, Seagull, Bluebell and Hugo had been reported to our welfare team in April 2022 by a concerned member of the public, who sent in photos.

Even though the photos depicted the donkeys at least two fields away, Donkey Welfare Adviser Jenna Goldby could immediately see the overgrowth on their hooves.

Realising just how serious and urgent the situation was, Jenna spent the Friday night making calls and setting a plan in action to attend the site to view the donkeys.

The next day would be a long one – the team would explore muddy footpaths in unrelenting rain to facilitate their rescue.

On the Saturday morning, Jenna and fellow Donkey Welfare Adviser Sophie Foster met with RSPCA Inspector Jo Pearson before exploring local footpaths close to the donkeys’ last known location.

After spotting and following sets of hoof prints, they eventually found the donkeys almost knee deep in mud and huddled together on a woodland track.

Jenna could instantly see just how long their hooves were, even through the mud and grime.

“Rosie’s hooves were the longest I have ever seen in person,” Jenna recalls.

The fourteen-year-old mare’s feet were very overgrown. When she tried to move, Rosie had an abnormal, exaggerated gait caused by the excess hoof growth.

“She was also very underweight,” Jenna adds. “I could feel all of her ribs protruding through her woolly, mud-caked coat. She was quite dull, and I was worried about her demeanour.

“At The Donkey Sanctuary, we have a saying: ‘Beware the dull donkey. It’s always an emergency’.

“Rosie’s body language was a cause for concern as she was very quiet and standing back, with her head hung low. I was very worried about her.”

Rosie was standing close to her son, a skewbald stallion called Seagull.

“Seagull was brighter than Rosie, but compared to the other donkeys, he was still fairly listless,” Jenna says.

“His hooves were starting to turn up at the toe and when he stood still, he often took his weight on his front leg, indicating discomfort in his left foot.”

Seagull was also underweight, with his ribs and hip bones prominent.

The thinnest donkey in the group, Maggie, was stood in a hunched position with her back legs coming in underneath her. She was the mother of Hugo and Bluebell, both of whom also had long hooves.

Maggie’s bones were prominent through her thick winter coat, and her ribs, hip bones and spine could be felt with ease. Her neck abruptly met her shoulder, and her spine was prominent.

Jenna says: “Maggie’s hooves were extremely overgrown and curling upwards. She had a large split up her front left hoof and her left hind hoof was growing with a twist, placing considerable pressure on the tendons and ligaments in that leg. She was lame on her front left leg.”

The wet, muddy conditions had resulted in hair loss on her lower legs.

Hugo and Bluebell were also in a sorry state. Bluebell’s hooves were overgrown, she was underweight and she had significant hair loss on her legs.

Hugo, the youngest of the group, had slightly overgrown hooves and was also underweight. He stood very close to Maggie, and appeared to find comfort in her presence.

Jenna says: “It is always sad to see donkeys in need of our help. Their poor condition and the length of their hooves was particularly shocking.

“Our priority was to alleviate their suffering and get them the help needed. We quickly began to make enquiries to identify and contact their owner as the first step towards this.

“None of us could bear the thought of them spending another night in such discomfort.”

After finding a contact for the donkeys’ owner at the adjacent smallholding, Jo arranged to meet them shortly after their arrival.

The owner explained they were unable to provide the care the donkeys needed, and agreed to relinquish them into the care of The Donkey Sanctuary.

After calling a local vet to attend and examine the donkeys, they provided pain relief ahead of the donkeys’ move to our Sidmouth sanctuary.

Arrangements were made for the donkeys to be collected and transported to our New Arrivals Unit.

Jenna says: “A huge thanks goes to our driver Mark Mingo, who dropped everything to ensure the donkeys were safely loaded into the transporter and taken to the safety and warmth of our New Arrivals Unit.”

Ten hours after arriving, and soaked to the bone, Jenna breathed a sigh of relief as she made her way back to our Sidmouth site.

It had been an exhausting day but everyone banded together to ensure the safety of the five donkeys, who had experienced such miserable conditions.

This was the beginning of their future – but there was still much more work to be done.

New arrivals

At 10pm that same evening, the donkeys arrived at our Sidmouth sanctuary, where our New Arrivals Manager Sara Blair-Salter waited to greet them.

“As we didn’t know their history, we ensured they were accommodated away from our other residents,” Sara says. “We had to move some donkeys in residence to another shelter to free up their space, which was particularly challenging at the weekend as we have fewer people available to help.

“We had also arranged for a vet to carry out an initial assessment when they arrived. We knew their hooves were very long, so their comfort was our top priority.

“We made sure their barn was filled with deep shavings bedding to help alleviate the discomfort of their long feet. There was straw and hay for them to munch on and plenty of water too.”

Although Sara had been briefed on what to expect, she was still shocked by the poor condition of the donkeys’ hooves.

“Their feet were awful,” she recalls. “Some of the worst I’ve seen – they were struggling to walk.

“Despite all they had gone through, they were still very inquisitive after they had been unloaded. They all came over to say hello and receive a scratch.”

The teams prioritised the donkeys’ immediate needs, carrying out x-rays to inform our farrier before their hooves were trimmed.

In the days that followed, our grooms spent time building relationships with each donkey and allowing them plenty of time to earn their trust.

Sara says: “Since their arrival, the donkeys have come on remarkably well.

“We can now catch and groom them, and they’re happy being led. It is amazing to see how far they have come.

“As stallions, both Hugo and Seagull needed to be castrated, so it was important to provide lots of handling work so they could receive the aftercare they needed following the procedure.”

Admission medicals are carried out for each new arrival, providing information to inform our treatment and management of their recovery.

Sara adds: “It is important to know if mares are pregnant so we can cater to their needs and plan for any foals. The female donkeys were pregnancy tested, with Bluebell, Maggie and Rosie all testing positive.”

On 12 July, Bluebell’s foal, Chief, was welcomed into the world.

The foal’s name was chosen because both Jenna and donkey transporter driver Mark had been expecting to attend an Exeter Chiefs rugby game on the Saturday of the rescue, but dropped everything when they found out about the donkeys’ situation.

Sara says: “As Bluebell was a young donkey, we had our suspicions this would be her first foal. Because of this, we wanted to keep a close eye on her.

“We made sure she was relaxed with extra handling so she could become comfortable with people coming in during her birth, and would accept any potential veterinary intervention.”

As Bluebell’s pregnancy progressed, Sara set up nightly watches via a camera in her stable. Awaking to hourly alarms, she routinely kept a check on Bluebell’s situation throughout the night.

At 5am, Sara noticed that Bluebell was becoming increasingly more restless, a near certain sign she was due to give birth.

Springing into action, Sara headed to our Sidmouth site – with Bluebell already giving birth as she stepped through the sanctuary door.

“It was all systems go!” she recalls. “But she did brilliantly. When Chief was safely born, we left them both to settle. She was already showing signs of being a great mum, she knew exactly what to do with helping him get to his feet and drinking from her.”

Since his arrival, Chief has come on leaps and bounds. He is already quick to get to his feet and feed, and enjoys sharing a paddock with his mum, next door to Maggie and Rosie, at our New Arrivals Unit.

Often, Chief can be found zooming around his field and he will confidently approach his grooms for fuss when they muck out his stable.

A sad farewell

Sadly, tragedy struck at the end of August when Seagull, who had been moved to a new home at Woods Farm in Devon with Hugo, developed a serious bout of colic and it was decided that the kindest course of action was to put him to sleep.

Following Seagull’s passing, close attention was paid to Hugo to see how he fared with the loss of his friend.

Thankfully, with plenty of love and continued care, Hugo continued to thrive at Woods Farm.

Jenna says: “I am very hopeful that Hugo might one day make it on to our Rehoming Scheme too, as he is a young donkey and has recovered well.”

As for Maggie, she can also look forward to a brighter future in our care, despite having some health issues to overcome. 

Jenna adds: “I understand that Maggie has some irreversible damage to her feet, but that she is comfortable and coping very well with regular vet checks and ongoing remedial farriery.

“She may not be able to be rehomed, but she will have a home for life here at The Donkey Sanctuary, and her days will be filled with love, care and warmth in our care.”

Since their arrival to The Donkey Sanctuary, the donkeys’ group has grown even bigger – with Maggie giving birth to a healthy foal called Cubby.

“Maggie still resides at our New Arrivals Unit, and is a wonderful mother to Cubby,” says Sara. “She is well versed in motherhood, having previously given birth to Hugo and Bluebell.

“Maggie’s confidence has come on leaps and bounds, and she now approaches her grooms for a scratch and attention.”