Donkeys

Gomez could not even open his mouth to eat, which led to being hundreds of pounds underweight.  He had to be hand fed mush until the vet was able to grind down the three inch tooth that was stuck in his cheek and was preventing him from being able to open his mouth to graze and take in his senior equine nutrition.  He also had not had his hooves tended to in so long that his back legs are now permanently bowed.  Gomez has a very strong will to live and his donkey stubbornness  shows through!  His favorite things to do are to follow humans around, take long naps in his sand pit, and get lots of pets behind his ears.

Sampson and Sebastian came to us from a lot of research about donkeys helping to protect from predators, specifically mountain lions.  We learned that the loud noises they make and their ability to kick are great deterrents from a mountain lion walking off with one of our goats.  We set out to find rescue donkeys when we came across Donkeyland in Attwater, CA.  We explained what our needs were and Cheryl was able to help us adopt Sampson and Sebastian. Sebastian had been living with a family where the kids had grown up and they didn’t have interest anymore. When he came to us he was in desperate need of hoof care as his legs were bowed from neglect. Over time we have been able to correct his legs and his walking.  These two can be found frolicking in the lower pasture with the ponies or hanging out in the donkey barn with the mini-donkeys.  One thing is for sure...if you come across them you’ll walk away with a smile on your face!

Nelson and Mandy are mini donkeys and were purchased to be ABAR ambassadors.  Prior to Covid, we were putting together a school assembly program.  Easier and safer to transport than a full size donkey or horse, we had planned to use Nelson and Mandy to tell the stories of our other rescue animals.  However, when Covid hit we had to pivot from our original plan.  Now these two adorable goofballs are usually found hanging out with their goat, cow, alpaca, sheep, pony or big donkey friends.  They love hugs, pets and treats so they really love weekends when the volunteers are here to give them their undivided attention!