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Mule rescued

Visitors often ask us why donkeys and mules are abandoned and where we get them from. Our newest arrival is a classic example of an answer we frequently give.

Many of our resident animals have come to us from the mountain villages and sadly they commonly end up in a bad state because their owner is elderly or unwell and no longer able to care for their donkey despite the best of intentions. Chica is a mule who has lived all of her life in the beautiful village of Sedella about 40 km from Nerja up in the foothills of the Sierra Tejeda and Almijara mountain ranges. Her owner, an elderly man from the village, is sadly terminally ill.

Since he was admitted to hospital Chica has been wandering around the village looking for food and comfort. When she was reported to us we were able to go straight there and collect her the same day. She is confident and not nervous of people. Her hooves are in very bad condition and she may have laminitis so our farrier will be checking her out.   With another new arrival it is always nice to home some of our longer term residents so we were delighted to find a great new home for Coco.   We have noticed a drop in the number of donkeys in need being reported to us. This may seem like a good sign but the calls about horses have gone up. It now seems owners are struggling to look after their horses which were previously kept well but with the financial crisis these valuable creatures are being left to find their own food. This in turn makes us worry about the donkeys as horses are often looked after better than donkeys to begin with. So if you see an animal in bad condition or wandering loose please contact us.

Andalucía day market

On Andalucia day, February 28, we will be having a market in the sanctuary with a barbecue. There will also be pony rides, a clown and a bouncy castle. If you are interested in having a stall you will need to book before February 20. Please contact Harriet on 618 467 575.

Sponsored Mountain Walk

There’s still time to join up with this year’s event. Last year’s ascent of El Cielo (Nerja's mountain) raised over €2000. This time the target is to climb Maroma which is the large grey mountain you can see north of Vélez-Málaga.

At 2065 metres, Maroma will be a real challenge so on Sunday, March 25, we will be meeting in Nerja at 8am before setting off for Canillas de Acetuno where the walk will begin. As before this will be a group effort and we aim to return to Nerja in the late afternoon for refreshments and a well earned drink.

Please contact us if you are interested in taking part as we would recommend training for this event and we can offer advice on this. If you don’t fancy climbing to the summit please sponsor one of the walkers. Sponsorship forms will be available in the sanctuary nearer the event.

We can't wait, hope to see you at the summit! If you would like to help the donkeys you can donate in the sanctuary and online. We always have projects to be funded and we value all donations equally. The best way to help is to set up a direct debit.

Please contact here or (+34) 618 467 575 for more information.

Volunteers and donations needed

We’re looking for volunteers to help out at the sanctuary and especially with the riding program. We need donations of materials or money for building and repairing our roofs and shelters. Please be aware in periods of extremely heavy rain we may have to close the sanctuary as it can become very muddy. Call ahead if you are unsure. We’re looking for businesses interested in sponsoring our disabled riding program. It was recently featured on Spanish television for the fifth time, an excellent opportunity to help out kids, donkeys and promote your business.

Thanks

Peter, Sheila, Jade, Judy, Maggie, Rosemary, Maurice, Marilyn, Katy, Tomas, Denise, Karina, Anne, Pam, Richard, Jone, Neo, Georgie, Elaine, Lucinda, Sharon, Georgia, Debbie and Christine. Big thank you to Bobbie for all her help.

Visiting the sanctuary

We’re open every day and admission is free. Our visitor hours are 10am to 2pm and 5-6pm . Great fun for kids and adults. Find us on this map.

We’re on the western edge of town a few minutes walk from the Supersol supermarket next to the Rio Chillar river. If you’re getting a taxi ask for the “Nerja Burros”. You can bring carrots and feed the donkeys by hand.

Volunteers always welcome, so if you’d like to help out why not come in or give us a call. Not all of the jobs are messy or too hands on as we always need people to help meet and greet visitors and show people around.

You can find out more about us, adopt a donkey or donate by card or PayPal online here or email here

For more information check online, email us or call (+34) 664 558 133.

Rescues on (+34) 618 46 7575.

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, Málaga, Spain.

The Nerja Donkey Sanctuary; founder of the Asociación de Málaga de los Santuarios del Burro - a registered charity (no. 7502) dedicated to the rescue and care of equines.

Donkey Sanctuary Archives

Read previous Donkey Sanctuary News pages by clicking on the pictures

January 2011	February 2011	March 2011	April 2011
May 2011	June 2011	July 2011	August 2011
September 2011	October 2011	November 2011	December 2011

2010 articles