Eseltjiesrus Donkey Sanctuary Newsletter / Nuusbrief #49 May to July 2019
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| Newsletter / Nuusbrief #49 | May - July 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Message from Blondie (on the left) and Lola
Happy hee haw day to you all! We are two sisters at the Donkey Sanctuary and love confusing visitors because we look so alike. We had a horrible start to life, being bred on a farm where all the donkeys were destined to become lion food. When we were rescued and brought to Eseltjiesrus we had no reason to trust humans and are still considered to be “shy” donkeys. We are learning that life here is good and slowly we are accepting grooming and handling to a degree. We hang out with our friends Andy, Sheila and Dowwe Dolla who all came from the same farm. We may be shy, but aren’t we gorgeous! You must love our manes and the beautiful silky hair in our ears. Thank you for saving us and allowing us to lead normal donkey lives! |
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Don’t miss out on our biggest ever, best ever Book Fair! Ons is bekend vir ons reuse verskeidenheid en afslag-pryse. Jy sal nie teleurgesteld wees nie!Remember to come to the Sanctuary as well – there are books there too and you can relax and enjoy our super buffet @ R120 per person & @ R65 for kids. Sorry no bookings. Menu includes:
During the Book Fair weekend (17th to 19th May) we expect large numbers of visitors. To respect the donkeys’ need for tranquillity, visits into the fields may be limited. There is a break for the donkeys’ lunch at 1pm, but you will always be able to meet the donkeys over the fence. Thank you for understanding! Please go to the Visitors’ Centre on arrival where our friendly Guides will meet you and explain the day’s system. Ons innige dank aan Die Burger vir die gratis plasing van ons advertensie vir erflatings, asook die gratis plasing van ʼn reeks advertensies vir ons Boekefees. |
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Media events |
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| Sincere thanks to Fine Music Radio for our interview on Cape Diary promoting the Book Fair. We trust that everyone who listened, noted the event and will do their best to come and buy! Eseltjiesrus was honoured to take part in the programme on global climate change: Die Kwik Styg, hosted by Lizma van Zyl on RSG (national Afrikaans radio) in prime time on Fridays. Our discussion examined the effects of global warming on donkey welfare, specifically in Africa, and the impact on the communities that depend on these hard-working animals for survival. Much food for thought! The interview can be heard at www.donkeysforafrica.org/Resources/eds.mp3 |
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Recent visits to the Sanctuary |
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We were visited by a group of pensioners from a retirement village in Cape Town. They loved hearing about our work and meeting the donkeys. Robertson Voorbereidingskool brought three Grade R classes on three consecutive days, to meet the donkeys and learn about our Culture of Caring. The little people enjoyed hearing a story, colouring in an appropriate picture and watching the donkeys’ morning care session. Shortly after that, Besige Bytjies brought a class of even younger children who listened to a story and met our patient and gracious old donkey, Amy. These visits plant little seeds of compassion and promote our ideal of Humane Education from an early age. |
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Donkey News |
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| Our three foster donkeys from Wellington are at the Sanctuary for at least some time, whilst we get to know them and accustom them to our way of handling and care. They are a very closely bonded little family: dad Eddie, mom Patsy and strapping big son Jasper. The main herd’s donkeys are all well and starting to grow their thicker winter coats. Soon the big shelter in the newly created Olive Field will be ready and then we will be able to rotate fields more easily as the donkeys must have access to weather-proof shelter at all times. Up till now they have moved between fields according to the weather and other conditions. Thank you to everyone who is contributing to the costs of erecting this shelter! Bella and Popeye remain cosy in their own field, preferring not to mix with the others and enjoying the peace of their own little shelter. We try to accommodate each donkey’s preferences as far as possible. Working donkeys’ life expectancy is only about 10 years, and we believe that apart from lack of veterinary care, overwork, accidents and injuries, stress is a significant contributing factor to this unnecessarily short lifespan. When we see the joyful abandon of our younger donkeys, playing with each other and expressing their individual personalities freely, we realise the accumulated stress that working donkeys may experience if not compassionately cared for. |
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Beyond our fences |
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 Education is the answer to address poor welfare. Eseltjiesrus was funded by The Donkey Sanctuary (UK) to present two donkey welfare workshops in the Eastern Cape. Two presenters flew to Port Elizabeth, travelled to Grahamstown and King Williams’ Town to present the workshops, and flew back from East London. The workshops reached an estimated 9000 donkeys through the professionals and organisations working in those areas. We were impressed by the large numbers of donkeys still working in subsistence farming there, and loved the enthusiasm and dedication of the animal welfare organisations and individuals such as veterinarians, who attended the workshops. The South African Veterinary Council awards 3 Continued Professional Development (CPD) points for attendance at these workshops.We hope to obtain funding to present these workshops further afield to reach more working donkeys in far-flung rural areas. Please contact us to suggest possible destinations. We promote donkey welfare daily through answering queries from all over South Africa and often further afield. Some of the topics we have addressed recently include feeding of donkeys, routine care required by donkeys, rehoming, hoof care and abscess treatment, and connecting people offering homes with donkeys needing homes. |
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International Donkey Day |
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| May 8th is recognised as World Donkey Day in many countries. Visit https://www.facebook.com/WorldDonkeyDay/ for current news. Our donkeys will enjoy a restful day as the Sanctuary is closed to visitors from Mondays to Wednesdays. Our staff will be encouraged to cast their vote in the general election in South Africa on that day! | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Donkeys for Africa |
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 This communication platform for organisations promoting donkey welfare throughout Africa, is administered by Eseltjiesrus but funded independently of any Sanctuary input. Organisations from all over Africa share information, successes and challenges and gain strength through mutual moral support. It is obvious that education is crucial to achieve lasting change. Humane Education focuses on nurturing compassion and commitment to human, animal and environmental well-being. Many programmes suitable for children are available. Donkeys for Africa is a partner of the Humane Education Coalition which promotes these values globally.Newsletters and reference articles are on the website www.donkeysforafrica.org and the facebook is at https://www.facebook.com/donkeysforafrica/ Do visit and “like” this! |
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Het u geweet?In areas soos Peddie in die Oos-Kaap, is daar talle dorpies en landelike gebiede waar werkende donkies steeds ʼn kritiese rol speel in die oorlewing van hul eienaars. Verskeie projekte bied opleiding aan deur byv harnasse aan te beveel wat op die donkie se sterkste trekpunt, die bors, werk, eerder as die swaar en oneffektiewe jukke wat deur osse gebruik is. Daar gebeur baie waarvan ons in die stede, onbewus is!
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Promoting the welfare and status of donkeys through a culture of caringEmail: info@donkeysanctuary.co.za ▪ Telephone: 023 625 1593 ▪ Fax: 086 614 7777
www.donkeysanctuary.co.za ▪ PO Box 29, McGregor, 6708, South Africa Patron: David Kramer ▪ NPO: 056-575 ▪ PBO: 930028734 |
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Please support usDonations, adoptions, renewal of adoptions and wine orders can now be made online on our new website www.donkeysanctuary.co.za through PayFast which accepts Credit/debit cards and instant EFTs.If you use the SnapScan or Zapper options to make your payment please send us an email giving us details of the transaction so that we can thank you and record details of the payment.
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Bank detailsEseltjiesrus Donkey Sanctuary
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You will hear from us again...You will hear from us again in our next newsletter during August 2019. Adopters will receive a new donkey report during September 2019.
Please inform us of any address changes.
Thank you from donkeys everywhere:
we rely on YOUR compassion and generosity to promote our welfare. Ons skakel graag met u in Afrikaans. Dankie dat u omgee! Vriendelike groete en donkie-drukkies van almal by Eseltjiesrus. |
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