Our approach to rescues
We provide loving care for donkeys in our sanctuaries across the United Kingdom and Europe.
Our mission is all about improving donkey welfare. While placing donkeys into our care has always been, and continues to be, a key part of delivering that mission, it is now just one of the many ways we work to improve donkey welfare. Our experience has taught us that alternatives to sanctuary care can often be the best option for some donkeys, and we work to reduce the need for us to intervene and ‘rescue’ by improving the welfare of donkeys wherever they live.
Donkeys that get relinquished into our ownership usually have complex needs that require specialist care and attention that can only be delivered in a sanctuary setting.
Making the right decisions for every donkey
Our aim is to be ever more proactive and to reduce the need for ‘rescue’ by improving the welfare of donkeys wherever they live. This includes the requirement for increased collaboration with international organisations as well as educating donkey owners to take care of their animals. The result will be a legacy of good on-the-ground welfare for donkeys everywhere.
Our activities have expanded well beyond the ‘rescue’ model. Across the globe we now provide donkey welfare education and outreach programmes. We also lobby governments and work with communities and organisations to improve the life of working donkeys.
A day in the life of New Arrivals
The path to rehoming starts from the very moment a donkey or mule comes into our care.
Not all donkeys that come to live at The Donkey Sanctuary end up being suitable for private homes. Nevertheless, we give each and every one of them as much attention as they require to help them get their best new start.
Our rescue stories
We led several organisations in the rescue of six mules and two ponies living on an exposed hillside in rural south Wales, just a few days before Christmas.
Loving Guardians have helped a pair of rescued donkeys thrive as they embark on a new chapter of their lives in their forever home in Suffolk.
A chance TikTok viewing led former top media executive Ron King to swap his designer clothes for farm boots and become the co-founder and CEO of Oscar’s Place, a donkey rescue and sanctuary in Northern California.
We helped support a multi-agency operation in Devon to ensure a positive outcome for 70 rare-breed Icelandic horses and foals.
A farmer has been sentenced after pleading guilty to offences under the Animal Welfare Act, following a major rescue operation that saved over 400 animals from appalling conditions.
A pair of donkeys are thriving in sanctuary care following the sad closure of their charity home.
A pair of 'painfully thin' donkeys have been given a fresh start after they were relinquished into our care.
Five donkeys who were left to suffer in terrible conditions in Hampshire are now reaping the benefits of expert sanctuary care months on from their rescue.
A ‘worryingly listless’ underweight colt who lived in a field littered with dangerous hazards is receiving all the support he needs to thrive once again.
