The Donkey Sanctuary
Encyclopedia
The Donkey Sanctuary is a British charitable organization
devoted to the welfare of donkey
s. 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 £22 million.
, MBE. It was registered as a charity in 1973.
Svendsen was prompted to start the sanctuary following a visit to Exeter
Market when she saw seven small donkeys crammed into a small pen. After she tried unsuccessfully to buy the donkey in the worst condition, she decided that instead of breeding donkeys she would try and save them.
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. 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.
After the UK Charity Commission
allowed the two charities to merge, the Donkey Sanctuary purchased Slade House Farm near Sidmouth in south Devon. Since then more than 14,500 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.
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.
The Donkey Sanctuary is managed by seven trustees who are responsible for the charity, its assets and activities. In 2011, the Donkey Sanctuary founder Elizabeth Svendsen died aged 81.
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
.
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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 surgeon
s 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 hyena
s, particularly to young foals. In Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Kenya and Mexico, the Donkey Sanctuary provides services in remote areas with high donkey populations.
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.
lead a fuller life through interaction with donkeys. The trust, which offers free riding lessons
, caters for more than 150 children a week. It operates from the sanctuary's main site in Sidmouth and through its other centres across England.
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.
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
devoted to the welfare of donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
s. The charity, which is based near Sidmouth
Sidmouth
Sidmouth is a small town on the English Channel coast in Devon, South West England. The town lies at the mouth of the River Sid in the East Devon district, south east of Exeter. It has a population of about 15,000, of whom 40% are over 65....
in Devon, England, was founded in 1969. It is one of the largest equine
Equus (genus)
Equus is a genus of animals in the family Equidae that includes horses, donkeys, and zebras. Within Equidae, Equus is the only extant genus. Like Equidae more broadly, Equus has numerous extinct species known only from fossils. This article deals primarily with the extant species.The term equine...
charities in the world with an annual income and expenditure of £22 million.
History
The Donkey Sanctuary was founded in 1969 by Elisabeth SvendsenElisabeth Svendsen
Elisabeth Doreen Svendsen MBE was a British animal welfare advocate and former hotelier. Svendsen founded The Donkey Sanctuary, an animal sanctuary headquartered in Sidmouth, England, in 1969 to help abused or homeless donkeys...
, MBE. It was registered as a charity in 1973.
Svendsen was prompted to start the sanctuary following a visit to Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
Market when she saw seven small donkeys crammed into a small pen. After she tried unsuccessfully to buy the donkey in the worst condition, she decided that instead of breeding donkeys she would try and save them.
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
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. The solicitor explained that Svendsen had been left a legacy of 204 donkeys. 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.
After the UK Charity Commission
Charity Commission
The Charity Commission for England and Wales is the non-ministerial government department that regulates registered charities in England and Wales....
allowed the two charities to merge, the Donkey Sanctuary purchased Slade House Farm near Sidmouth in south Devon. Since then more than 14,500 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.
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
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
for its donkeys.
The Donkey Sanctuary is managed by seven trustees who are responsible for the charity, its assets and activities. In 2011, the Donkey Sanctuary founder Elizabeth Svendsen died aged 81.
Europe
In the past four decades, the sanctuary has cared for more than 13,500 neglected or unwanted donkeys throughout the UK, Ireland and other parts of Europe. 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
Donkey rides
Donkey rides are a traditional feature of seaside resorts in England. Children are allowed to ride donkeys on a sandy beach for a fee in summer months while on holiday, normally led in groups at walking pace...
. In 2009 the winner was the town of Filey
Filey
Filey is a small town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the borough of Scarborough and is located between Scarborough and Bridlington on the North Sea coast. Although it started out as a fishing village, it has a large beach and is a popular tourist resort...
.
Worldwide
Veterinary surgeon
Veterinary surgeon is a term used to describe:*The full title of a vet, who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals, in the United Kingdom and several Commonwealth countries**See also Veterinary medicine in the United Kingdom...
s 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
Deworming
Deworming is the giving of an anthelmintic drug to an animal to rid it of intestinal parasites, such as roundworm and tapeworm...
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 hyena
Hyena
Hyenas or Hyaenas are the animals of the family Hyaenidae of suborder feliforms of the Carnivora. It is the fourth smallest biological family in the Carnivora , and one of the smallest in the mammalia...
s, particularly to young foals. In Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Kenya and Mexico, the Donkey Sanctuary provides services in remote areas with high donkey populations.
Educational work
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.
Elisabeth Svendsen Trust for Children and Donkeys
In 1989 the Elisabeth Svendsen Trust for Children and Donkeys was established to assist children with special needsSpecial education in England
Special education in England is the responsibility of the Government of the United Kingdom and the term "special educational needs" is used to describe the needs of children who need additional provision in order to make progress...
lead a fuller life through interaction with donkeys. The trust, which offers free riding lessons
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
, caters for more than 150 children a week. It operates from the sanctuary's main site in Sidmouth and through its other centres across England.
Slade House Farm
The main headquarters of The Donkey Sanctuary in Devon is open to the public 365 days a year from 9.00 am to dusk with free admission and parking. The charity estimates that more than 200,000 people visited the site in 2009.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.