Dr. Faith Burden

A complete mix.

So sadly, we still see lots of cases of neglect.

So we're still taking animals that have been abandoned or have been treated very badly.

We're also taking animals that have got significant behavioural issues that need rehabilitation.

medical issues.

And sadly, we do see the issue of donkeys outliving their owners.

So donkeys live a very long time.

Really?

They can live into their 30s.

And unfortunately, sometimes their human carers can't look after them for their life.

So

We're trying to help people to understand that a donkey's lifetime is long and it's a big commitment.

So we sometimes step in in those circumstances.

But certainly in Europe, there are not that many working donkeys anymore.

Sometimes in tourism sometimes.

sometimes in small-scale agriculture.

But most of the donkeys that come into our sanctuaries, at least, will have been companions and pets.

But it's very different to the work that we do internationally with working donkeys.

I mean, the vast majority of donkeys in the world are working animals that live in the global south.

So those donkeys are essential to the livelihoods of the people that rely on them.