Inside the country's largest sanctuary for abused and neglected donkeys

Source: CNN | August 30, 2019 | Meghan Dunn

San Angelo, Texas (CNN) – Mark Meyers believes donkeys are one of the most misunderstood animals.

“Ask anyone about donkeys and they will probably tell you they are stubborn, stupid and dangerous,” he said.

But for Meyers — who has dedicated his life to rescuing these creatures — that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“They are one of the smartest animals,” Meyers said. “They are playful and protective. They’re like big dogs.”

A donkey is domesticated; those roaming in the wild are called burros. Because of the misconception, these animals often face mistreatment and abuse.

Many donkeys are purchased or adopted by people who ultimately can’t properly care for them, resulting in ill treatment. And when burros overpopulate and damage areas of the western United States, they are rounded up and sent to corrals to manage their numbers.

Meyers didn’t always feel so strongly about donkeys. In 1999, he was living outside Los Angeles and working as an electrical contractor when his wife bought a donkey as a companion for their dog. They named the donkey Izzy.

“We fell in love with her,” Meyers said. “She opened our eyes to the donkey problem. We started noticing donkeys in need everywhere.”

The couple started buying abused or neglected donkeys — they had overgrown hooves, some were malnourished, and others were so badly beaten that if Meyers touched them, they’d start shaking and fall.

By 2005, Meyers and his wife had 250 donkeys on their land.

“We decided that either we have a problem or we’re going to have to find a way to find homes for these donkeys,” he said.

They gave up their careers and moved to a ranch outside San Angelo, Texas. Today, they have the largest donkey sanctuary in the US, known as Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue.

The nonprofit has rescued 13,000 donkeys and burros to date and has expanded to two additional ranches in Virginia and Arizona. Together, the three ranches can handle 3,000 of these animals at a time. The organization also has smaller satellite adoption centers across the country.

The group trains the donkeys with the goal to place them in good homes. Each year, the organization adopts out roughly 400 donkeys.

……..

Tagged: , , , ,

Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.