Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Three And A Half Now Safe at PrimRose

About two weeks ago my highly-tuned senses began to pick up news of an abandoned donkey in our vicinity. The woman's brow grew more furrowed and she had many telephonic consultations with Sheila. I knew something was afoot and kept my highly receptive ears tuned for more information.

In brief, a young male donkey had been caught in the middle of a nasty family fracas and had been unceremoniously turned loose to fend for himself, near a highway, for two weeks. Finally, he was caught and turned over to someone who holds such foundlings for the town for thirty days until they are claimed or sold at auction. Sheila and the woman desperately tried to speak with the powers that be, offering to buy the foundling so he wouldn't have to endure another traumatic experience and would be assured of a happy future. No response was forthcoming and the wall of silence remained unbreached so the poor lad went off to a livestock/meat auction last Saturday.

Sheila was embroiled in a fundraiser at the same time and so Herself volunteered to go to the auction, on Sheila's behalf, in an attempt to purchase said donkey. She was joined by some other donkey rescue troops who formed a determined cadre, bent on emerging with donkey in tow. The weather behaved disgracefully, with the skies opening in a tap-like fashion and refusing to shut off all day. The auction site was a horror of mud and mire and crying animals.

And there they found the soaking wet donkey, along with four horses, in the only outdoor pens at the place. A short time later, a small, bedraggled female donkey was thrust into another pen. She was lice-ridden, pregnant and foundered and her consignors thought so little of her that they took her halter away with them. The group determined that she must somehow be taken to PrimRose as well.

The day wore on and it became evident that the donkeys would be the very last to be auctioned . The rain came down in buckets and the donkeys, without food for the duration and probably since the night before, stood forlornly in their pens. Finally, they were chased into the auction ring and the woman set to with some furious bidding. She said she only began breathing again when the hammer went down and the man wielding it said SOLD! in her direction.

Then began the process of getting the donkeys from the pens to the PrimRose trailer. Geographically, these are as far removed from the busy loading docks as possible. There was a moment of great concern when it was discovered the little jenny had lain down in exhaustion and defeat and didn't have the energy to stand. She was finally coaxed up and followed the young donkey lad to the trailer, reluctant to walk on the concrete because of her deformed and aching feet.

I must mention that a lamb had also been purchased by the woman as company for the ancient rescue sheep, Helen, whose equally ancient sheep friend died recently. It was felt that Helen would come out of her deep depression if another ovine companion was found. And that is how, at a meat auction, three and one half creatures out of thousands, found their way to the safety of PrimRose and not to ...well, somewhere else.

9 comments:

billie said...

Bravo for The Woman and her Cadre! She is courageous to go to the auctions where animals are treated so poorly. Please keep us updated as these donkeys settle in with Sheila and learn that life with humans can be very good indeed.

Dougie Donk said...

Oh my, that has brought a lump to my throat! Your Woman is (despite her previous poor attention to your own majesty) deserving of nothing but praise from such a selfless action.

Please do pass on our regards & post some photos of the rescuees.

ponymaid said...

Billie, though horribly flawed and sometimes inattentive regarding my personal wellbeing, I suppose I must grudgingly approve the woman's actions. Those auctions sound like a living nightmare. I'm glad I have no experience with them.

Dougie, I will pass on your words, though it may go to her head. There are only two photos of the rescuees, owing to the fact that the rain was torrential and that the woman, having carefully taken her camera, equally carefully left it in her vehicle when it was time to load the donkeys. One of the helpful human cadre was able to take two images with her telephone device and as soon as these images can be edited down I will have the woman post them.

BumbleVee said...

I'm with Dougie....all choked up .... did you say thousands? oh, it's so hard to believe people just don't think things through before getting animals....and then... think even less when treating them poorly or just leaving them to fend for themselves.....people, pagh ! I've totally lost faith in humans. .... I just know if I had a gun some of them would be in danger... my husband says I would always be out of bullets...and he's absolutely right!

Thank goodness for some of the caring ones.... it just seems so little that we can do.... and even the powers that be don't help much some days...well, most days.......... what can I say?...again, it's people isn't it? .... arrrgghhhhhh!!!!!! sorry, I'm French! I get frustrated and say so!

ponymaid said...

Vee, it confuses me greatly. I wonder, do some humans just assume we others don't have feelings? That we don't feel physical discomfort and pain? I just can't fathom how a donkey gets into that shape. It takes years of dedicated neglect. Apparently the jenny wasn't even worth leaving a ragged halter on - what was going through someone's mind when they shoved her into the pen and took off her halter ? I guess they just walked away happy they would get a few dollars and not caring where she went. The other poor lad could have been spared the ordeal but the town just didn't care. You see, it pervades all levels.

Dougie Donk said...

My woman has a word she frequently uses when talking of people who neglect animals. I don't know what it mens., but she says it with so much emotion that I think it must be appropriate. Sounds something like "Bar Stewards>"

Use it at will and thank whatever fits with your belief system that the good people still exist & work for us.

ponymaid said...

Dougie, oh yes, those mysterious bar-stewards! I've heard that one too in the last few days...I'm still trying to puzzle it out but feel sure it is not a good thing to be called, given Herself's tone of voice and blotchy complexion when she uses it.

Buddy said...

Hay Sheaffer - so what happened to the horses - did they find good homes?

Your woman rocks!

Your Fren,

ponymaid said...

Buddy, we can hope that some of the handful of horses got actual homes but I'm afraid the auction deals in meat...