Baby donkeys are cute, but they can grow up to be a big problem
A baby donkey is one of the cutest farm animals, and it's easy to fall in love. Unfortunately, donkeys are often neglected or mistreated. We meet a woman who has dedicated her life to rescuing wonky donkeys.
The first time Pauline Sainsbury met Milo he was completely wild. He wouldn't wear a halter because his head had grown into the first one someone put on him as a baby. It took six men to wrestle him onto a float so she could transport him to her block.
“He's retired now at 24, but he was really nasty when he first arrived here.”
Fortunately for Milo, he was a naturally un-wonky donkey.
“I couldn't pick up his feet because he kicked. Luckily, he had good feet. That's what saved him.”
Almost 300 rescue donkeys have followed in Milo's hoofprints in the 10+ years since Pauline first met him, but the welfare issues they face are the same: wonky, overgrown, painful hooves, raging hormones in jacks making them unmanageable, lack of training, and a general lack of knowledge of the unique needs of donkeys.
People are enraptured by the high 'cute factor' of a donkey, especially fluffy foals. Pauline says most people have fond memories of Winne the Pooh's friend Eeyore, or they loved donkey rides on
"You shouldn't buy a donkey and think they are going to be cheap to look after.
the beach as children.
The biggest problem is beginner donkey owners who fall in love and buy small, cute entire male (jack) foals. They quickly find they are nothing like Eeyore, says Pauline. Jacks are incredibly challenging to handle and impossible to sell.
“If people gelded them there wouldn't be a problem,” says Pauline. “But they say it's too expensive. But you shouldn't buy a donkey and think they are going to be cheap to look after.”
Some donkeys end up at her rescue because people's circumstances change.
“Many are lovely donkeys,” says Pauline. “It's often where people have downsized (off a lifestyle block and moved back into town) or are moving on to a rest home or village, bad health, or have just lost interest in the donkey. It just gets too hard. Sometimes the donkeys have health issues – bad feet or teeth – and they've just had enough.”
Donkey rescuers around NZ find it's common for people to sell their lifestyle block and leave an unruly donkey behind for the new owners. In many cases, the donkey has been relegated to a far-off paddock, out of sight, out of mind, with no
thought to its future or welfare.
Pauline is now compiling a second photograph album of her rescues. She says it's important people know donkeys require a great deal of care and maintenance to keep healthy.
“Many people buying donkeys have no idea how to look after them. They don't understand that a donkey's feet must be trimmed (at least) three to four times a year, have its teeth seen to by an equine dentist, how to teach their donkey to lead on a halter and pick up its feet.”
Donkeys don't naturally know how to pick up their feet, as a farrier requires, so the undersides can be trimmed back. If an owner is scared by a donkey stamping a hoof or kicking out with their back legs when they attempt to lift an animal's legs, they stop trying. Hooves grow quickly. They can get so long they resemble long, curling Persian slippers (see below). This is painful for a donkey, and it's often impossible for them to walk. Some donkeys are euthanised because of incurable lameness due to untrimmed hooves.