Click on the donkey above to visit the website of the Nerja Donkey Sanctuary

January flew past at the sanctuary as we busied ourselves clearing up after the incredible rain storms that left it flooded. Almost all of our planned events were a complete wash out, the wet weather was so bad we were forced to close to visitors on a number of occasions. Although, with all the bad weather, there weren’t many visitors to let in anyway. December 2009 was the wettest month since records began here 14 years ago. The week of December 19-26 saw nearly 10 inches of rain fall, more in one week than fell in the first 50 weeks of 2009. Luckily the sun shone on our Xmas Open Day and we were able to welcome in visitors again.

 

Thankfully we had planned ahead for the winter rains by clearing the fences, putting up new roofs with gutters and even using a digger to create drainage channels, which all worked fantastically. The huge lake that normally forms in the back field never materialised as the water was ushered away into the channels and down to the river. Our eldest and most at risk animals were wrapped up in coats and kept permanently under shelter whilst the babies and some of the younger donkeys were allowed to choose if they wanted to go and splash about in the rain before heading for cover when it got too wet.   The rain meant we took almost no money in the sanctuary itself. Fortunately, we had some excellent donations through birthday parties and car boot sales in the UK which meant not only were we able to keep the doors open but we could get on with repairing and rebuilding the sanctuary while the weather is cool and dry.

Woody, wrapped up against the cold

 

Charity co-founder and our rescue driver Jim returned recently to Nerja for a short visit to see the sanctuary that without him would not exist. Now sadly confined to a wheelchair after suffering a series of strokes it was heartwarming to see how the animals in the sanctuary responded to Jim’s return (pictured left).   Many of the donkeys called out when they saw him and lots of volunteers past and present came down to see Jim. We wish him all the best with his recovery and hope to see him back here again soon.   Rescues The rescue calls are mounting up but we are so pushed for space now that we need to home some donkeys (and the few remaining dogs) before we can get them safely to the sanctuary. The waiting list includes a pregnant donkey and her foal, an elderly mare, a horse that has been jumped into the ground and until recently more pigs than we knew what to do with.

 

We are hoping to soon find a foster home for Trevor, our huge baby donkey who is now becoming a bit dangerous as he hasn’t been castrated. He is a beautiful donkey and more than likely a Giant Andalucian donkey which means it would be illegal to castrate him and he is perfect for breeding.   Rubia is making good progress after her rescue, she is now walking better and has been given a specialised treatment plan by our vet. We hope that she can recover significantly from the neglect she suffered and that she may be able to be rehomed.   Thank yous Barry and Pat Lewis (pictured right with Petra) who raised an incredible €1000 for the sanctuary at Pat's birthday party when she asked that instead of presents people donate to the donkeys, thank you to everyone who attended and donated.   Happy Birthday to Pat too!   Thanks to Smiffs bookshop for their recent donation and also to Leda who raised €355 through car boot sales on the Isle of Wight.   Thanks to the Boatyard bar and Kap’tn Krap for his xmas party donkey disco which was slightly hampered by being on the same night as the final of the X factor, thanks to those who turned up!   And thanks to Escuela de Idiomas for improving our Spanish and Nerja Taxis for becoming a sponsor.

About Us

Our core visitor hours for February are 10am to 2pm and 5 to 6pm (please check the website for the latest opening hours).

We are open every day of the year and admission is free. Great fun for kids. Find us on the Soltalk map in square E2. We are on the western edge of town a few minutes walk from the Supersol supermarket next to the Rio Chillar river and its new promenade.

You can bring carrots and feed the donkeys by hand, please remember to break up any larger carrots. Like a city farm we have a variety of other animals that children can meet and learn about including pigs, goats and chickens. If you haven’t been in recently we have improved and expanded the visitor area so come and see us again as you won't recognise the place. Volunteers always needed.

You can find out more about us, adopt a donkey or donate by card or PayPal at our website or email us.

For information about volunteering, school visits or opening hours call Rory on (+34) 664 558 133.

For Rescues call (+34) 618 46 7575.

For fund raising or helping at the car boot stall call Irene on (+34) 690 047 350.

You can donate in sterling or euros with cheques payable to Nerja Donkey Sanctuary.

Postal address: Katherine Horne, Nerja Donkey Sanctuary, Apartado de Correos 414, Nerja, 29780, Malaga, Spain.

The Nerja Donkey Sanctuary is a registered Spanish not for profit charity number 7502.

Donkey Sanctuary Archives

Read previous Donkey Sanctuary News pages by clicking on the pictures

January 2010
2009 articles
January 2009	February 2009	March 2009	April 2009
May 2009	June 2009	July 2009	August 2009
September 2009	October 2009	November 2009	December 2009