Our latest news!
This is a much needed thread. After a long absence, it’s about time to share all the exciting news with you.
Over the year some of the EE members have seen our facilities, have met our donkies and were able to appreciate our difficult working conditions.
We’ve had the shelter located at a small dairy farm in a derelicted cowshed and large paddock, loaned to us by a local farmer. No doubt we are very grateful to this man, as without him the Project would have never taken off the ground, neither many of our animals would have been alive by now…
Still. The place was very dirty; often we had to feed the animals after work in cold, wet, winter nights, with no light, using the dim light of the mobiles… then the farmer crammed the place with chicks and with then came the stale, wet, soggy bread, the chicken dirt, the fowl smell… this made our moral go very thin; all was covered in chicken dirt, even our bales of hay, our feeding utensils, everything. It was so hard to cope with this; there were times when we both felt like giving up fighting… we even felt grateful to the foxes when on two occasions they killed all hens...
During this time, we also had the field invaded by a neighbours donkey stallion that savaged one of our old jennies and shortly after, Magic’s tragic accident, caused solely by faulty fencing. As you all know, Magic’s death caused us great emotional pain and financial hardship with the vet bills.
We knew it was time to go; we had no alternative but to find another place. DM and I discussed this over and over; buying was no way viable and renting posed to be very difficult.
Then, to make things worse, the farmer’s wife started to show psychological signs of becoming depressed and she started to show signs of altering her personality. She started to speak to us in a different manner, and gradually she started to demand our services, as if we were there under her orders. She used the animals to blackmail us, in case we didn’t comply with her chores, DM in particular. We felt rather frustrated and angry at this.
But, all happens for a reason, I guess.
All these happenings lead us to search for a property to rent, although knowing how difficult and costly this would be. We started to action all our contacts… and one day, we struck lucky. A local business man agreed to rent us an old family property.
It comprised an overgrown field with stunning views for the surrounding landscape and two derelicted buildings, previously used to shelter cattle.
The property had some trees and tall bushes good for shade, but no water and no electricity.
But this was a challenge well worth taking; it would be our dream come true; finally, our shelter installed in facilities planned and done to our wishes!
The main downfall would be the costs associated with the renovation of the place. But we decided to do it, irrespective. God is Great, we believe.
The yearly rent deal was good. We already signed the rent’s contract and the first year’s rent was kindly donated by our landlord.
So, here are some sigthing of our shelter’s new place.
First, the stunning surrounding lanscape. Here one feels at peaces; all is so quiet and secluded.
We even have suitable dirt track roads to organise small donkey trails with children.
Some shots of the remaining property before undergoing renovation.
The main stable, disturbed by overgrown vegetation.
The roof, in need of being mended and sights of the inside.
The smaller shed, also affected by overgrown vegetation.
The property already improved with substantial renovation and clean-up work over the last few weeks. The main stable was renovated (building cleaned, roof reparated, mangers rebuilt, a water supply system installed) and a wire fence installed. For this, we had to hire a team of 2 bricklayers.
The thick brambles were also cut by a professional person in this kind of work. Some bushes were left untouched as a measure to preserve local wildlife’s habitat.
And, for everybody’s appreciation, the outcome of all these efforts.
The new fence all around the property.
The main stable repaired; new roof and mangers. A water tank was installed, directly connected to an automatic drinking bowl; because there is no water in the property, we’ll have two options; to fill the tank ourselves or to buy this service from the Fire Brigade.
But this is not finished yet and there is still a lot to do before we can bring the remaning donkey herd into the new place and run the shelter from here.
We need to raise enough funds to instal an electric fencing and we must repair the derelicted smaller stable, to be used as a quarentene stable and storage room for hay and other feeds and equipments.
Hence, the suggested Xmas auction will be a lifeline to us at this moment, and all funds would go towards making the property usable for our donkey shelter. Same for any fund raising activities, like SueBlue’s suggested “Ride to Music” event.
We’ll also appreciate and be grateful for any donations and renewals of Donkey Adoptions from all EE adoptive parents for 2009.
It was EE members’ generous support that enabled us to achieve much of this during 2008.
The Universe hás been kind to us and we feel that 2009 will be a year for much expansion… with everybody’s help. Thank You.
