Transit Donkey Secures Happy Future
- Young donkey spotted fly-grazing and being travelled in back of transit van now in the care of charity
A young Donkey, who was found fly-grazing at various locations around Middlesex including a supermarket car park and outside of a doctor’s surgery, has found a new home with the World Horse Welfare.
Delilah, as she has been named, is now in the care of World Horse Welfare’s Glenda Spooner Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre enjoying a much more traditional donkey life, as she undergoes rehabilitation. World Horse Welfare Field Officer, Nick White, had previously visited Delilah said:
“The first time I was alerted to Delilah, she was less than a year old, very frightened and living overnight in the back of a transit van which she had to jump up into. The van had no ventilation and only rags on the floor with no fresh air and would have been very cold during the winter nights. During the day she was tethered in the car park of a DIY superstore near Heathrow and her owners would not be parted with her, despite my offers to take her into the charity’s care.
“I continued to monitor her condition and saw her in a number of different locations. On a visit one day in March, Delilah was clearly exhausted and lying on the grass outside of a local doctor’s surgery with no water. This is clearly not ideal for any equine, but particularly for donkeys who rely so heavily on companionship and at such a young age too. I knew we had to try and get her out of this situation.
“I met with the people who had been caring for her and it became apparent that her previous owners had moved on, leaving Delilah behind and with no provisions for her care. Her current carers were about to be evicted and could not take Delilah with them so they gladly signed her over into World Horse Welfare’s ownership. Delilah was then transported to our Glenda Spooner Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre where she has since been undergoing rehabilitation and learning all about what the life of an equine should be.
“Coming across a fly-grazing donkey is certainly not a common occurrence in my job with World Horse Welfare but thankfully we were able to save Delilah from this situation and she now has a bright future ahead.”
Delilah has been thriving in her new life and is enjoying making lots of new friends with the various horses and ponies. Delilah’s friendly nature and good looks have already proved a hit with visitors at a recent competition to find a fitting name for this furry donkey. With over 100 entries received, the winning name was suggested by visitor Kate in honour of her daughter, Delilah, and an official naming ceremony is soon to take place.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.