A year ago, a couple of ranchers from Texas decided it would be a good idea to buy a few donkeys and start an inhumane breeding operation.
They quickly grew tired of their "project" and, instead of taking responsible next steps, simply left the donkeys behind on a large plot of farmland.
One month ago, the Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue (PVDR), an animal shelter based in San Angelo, TX, was called onto the scene.
What they witnessed was incredibly heartbreaking: over 150 wild, abandoned donkeys, most of whom were threatened and unsocialized.
They quickly rounded up these donkeys, and brought them back to the shelter grounds. They estimated that, including all the new foals that will be born, there will be over a total of 200 rescued donkeys!
In the light of this story, it is important that we remember the importance of saving all unprotected species, whether they are wild animals, farm animals, or helpless little donkeys that need our help and attention.
Scroll on to read more about this incredible animal rescue story, and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
[H/T: The Dodo]
Last year, a few ranchers from Texas acquired around 12 donkeys to start their own breeding operation.
The novelty of their “project” soon wore off, however, and instead of contacting rescue or rehabilitation operations, they released the donkeys onto more than 250 acres of farmland.
Just one month ago, the Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue (PVDR), an animal shelter based in San Angelo, TX, was contacted to help solve the problem.
The shelter ultimately decided to adopt every single one of the miniature donkeys on that plot of land — amounting to a total of “85 whole jacks, 65 jennets, and seven young foals.”
Of their “massive mini rescue,” the shelter predicted a month ago that over 80 percent of the female donkeys were to bear foals.
This would increase the total mini donkey count to over 200.
“We are looking for interested parties to take [five to six] of these donkeys and work with them to make them people-friendly,” the shelter wrote in a Facebook post.
The donkeys are all technically wild and undomesticated, as they’ve been abandoned and uncared for over such a long period of time.
As a result, none of them are expected to be friendly toward humans upon initial contact.
Despite this, the shelter reassures interested folks that no real experience is needed to work with these donkeys.
“Just love, patience, and a pen to keep them separated from other animals."
It’s been a little more than a month, and the rescue organization has already made impressive progress in processing the donkeys.
In addition to checking up on their general health, they have vaccinated the donkeys, to protect them from any viruses and illnesses, dewormed them, and implanted microchips in them to track their condition.
It’s unbelievably fortunate that the rescue shelter has brought in all of the donkeys from what they dubbed was “a breeding situation gone horribly wrong.”
The donkeys have a long road ahead of them, however.
Because they lived as wild animals on the ranch, they will need tremendous help adjusting to a more socialized living environment.
The hardest part is over, though — the rescuers called the transition from the wild ranchland to the shelter “extremely stressful.”
Because of this, everyone at the shelter is giving each donkey as much time as they need to get acquainted with the new living space, before any rehabilitation is done.
You can click here to follow the mini donkeys’ progress on the shelter’s Facebook page.
And if you are interested in learning how you can work with and care for these donkeys, or eventually adopt them, contact [email protected].
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