Sanctuary sees spike in dumped abused donkeys

A donkey sanctuary has said it is struggling to care for a sudden influx of dumped unwanted animals that have suffered "horrendous injuries and abuse".

Linda Gilbert said nine donkeys have been abandoned at Barnhill Donkeys Retreat near Penrith, Cumbria, since December after suffering "unprecedented levels of physical and mental harm".

Vet Sam Galloway said most of the nine "showed signs of severe disease" with some "very sadly not responding to the care".

Gilbert believed some had been bought as presents during the festive period, while others showed "strikingly similar injuries". She said she had "never seen abuse to this extent" since she opened the sanctuary in 2003.

"Sometimes we get a sudden load of donkeys or horses abandoned but the state of abuse, neglect and illness these donkeys are in is unprecedented.

"These poor animals have skin disease, liver disease, eye problems and foot issues which are being treated by our vet.

"Some of them have a pattern to their illness, for example having near-identical foot and hoof problems.

In January, four donkeys were left at the sanctuary gates, one of them with a "horrendous eye injury".

The following month another four were dumped, Gilbert said.

"A mother and daughter were abandoned together on 18 February.

"The mother is still fighting for her life with severe liver disease and painful foot disease.

"It's heartbreaking because when you see these two donkeys, they are peas in a pod."

Gilbert said in March the sanctuary had "another female donkey who arrived in a state of skin and bone".

The sanctuary, which provides school and charity visits, said due to the amount of donkeys abandoned and the care needed they "ran out of stable space".

"We are in the process of extending the stable yard but our feed costs have quadrupled and all other bills have rocketed," Gilbert said.

The RSPCA said it continued to see "worrying levels of animal abandonment and neglect, which unfortunately includes horses, ponies and donkeys".

It said rising costs for equine essentials like hay, feed supplies and veterinary care "may tragically leave some people feeling they have no choice but to abandon their animals".

"But dumping an animal is never the answer," the charity said.

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