A few nice animal sanctuary images I found:
Coco needed an urgent blood transfusion. Photo copyright of The Donkey Sanctuary
Image by Donkey Sanctuary Press Images
Urgent blood transfusion improves chances for orphaned foal
PRESS RELEASE from The Donkey Sanctuary
14 September 2012
A four-day-old, orphaned donkey foal in urgent need of a blood transfusion has this week been taken in by The Donkey Sanctuary in order to ensure her survival.
Coco was born on Sunday 9th September, and was orphaned at just two-days old when her mother, who had been unwell during the pregnancy, sadly passed away. As well as the loss of her mother, Coco was also suffering from the lack of antibodies she would have been getting from her mother’s milk, leaving her in urgent need of a blood transfusion to strengthen her immune system.
Knowing that Coco would now need specialist care, her Shropshire owners called The Donkey Sanctuary for help, and she was moved to the Three Counties Equine Hospital in Gloucestershire, where staff working in conjunction with The Donkey Sanctuary’s veterinary team carried out an urgent plasma transfusion to increase the antibodies in Coco’s blood, and help her immune system to strengthen. Tests will be carried out over the next few days to determine whether Coco will need further transfusions.
Emma Gill, PR Officer for The Donkey Sanctuary, visited Coco at the hospital the day after she came into the care of The Donkey Sanctuary:
“It must have been a very difficult decision for the owners, having just lost Coco’s mother, to also part with this adorable young foal to secure her future, but we are glad that we’re able to give her all the specialist care she needs. Our vets advise me that Coco is doing very well considering the amount she has already had to deal with in her short life, and they are hopeful that tests will show that her blood transfusion has been a success. In the meantime, Coco is having three-hourly feeds to help her build her strength up, drinking from a bucket as she was struggling to drink from a bottle. She has even surprised vets by having the energy to trot around exploring the hospital’s paddock less than 24 hours after her transfusion.”
For free, expert advice for anyone experiencing difficulties in caring for their donkeys, please visit www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk.
All of the donkeys taken in, including Coco, now have a sanctuary for life with The Donkey Sanctuary. The charity is funded entirely by donations and takes in an average of eight donkeys each week throughout the UK and Ireland. Call 01392 578222 or visit www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk for more information.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
For an interview, further information or images, please contact The Donkey Sanctuary press office on 01395 573097/573014 or mobile 07970 927778.
About The Donkey Sanctuary
International animal welfare charity The Donkey Sanctuary was founded by the late Dr Elisabeth Svendsen M.B.E. in 1969. It supports projects to alleviate the suffering of donkeys in 28 countries worldwide, including sanctuaries across Europe, where more than 15,000 donkeys and mules have been cared for, and major projects in Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Kenya and Mexico, where donkey welfare is improved through community education and veterinary work. It also provides donkey-assisted therapy for children with additional needs and therapeutic visits for elderly people in the local community from centres in Belfast, Birmingham, Ivybridge, Leeds, Manchester and Sidmouth.
For further information telephone: 01395 578222, view www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk or visit the charity’s headquarters near Sidmouth in Devon (open 365 days/free admission).
Molly visiting a much loved volunteer Sheila Linton during her last few days spent at St Ann's Hospice in Manchester. Photo copyright of The Donkey Sanctuary
Image by Donkey Sanctuary Press Images
Party kick starts therapy donkey Molly’s retirement in style
PRESS RELEASE from The Donkey Sanctuary
11 June 2012
A popular therapy donkey called Molly from The Donkey Sanctuary’s Manchester Centre is to receive a fitting send off tomorrow (Tuesday 12 June) as she retires from her duties and returns to the charity’s headquarters in Sidmouth, Devon to receive treatment for her failing sight. The charity is inviting supporters to attend a party in Molly’s honour from 2pm at the centre in Abbey Hey.
22 year old Molly has been providing therapeutic visits for elderly people and children with additional needs in local communities across Manchester and the north west since 2006, visiting nursing homes, schools, hospitals and hospices. Over the last few months, staff noticed that Molly was experiencing a deterioration in her eye sight. Moving from Manchester to Sidmouth will allow Molly to receive specialist care that she needs for her worsening sight.
Debbie Coombes, manager of The Donkey Sanctuary’s centre in Manchester, says:
“Molly is very much loved by the staff and volunteers here at the Manchester centre, our supporters from far and wide and the many nursing homes and other establishments she has visited. She has worked as far afield as Preston, Blackpool, Stoke, Merseyside, Cheshire and all over the Greater Manchester and Tameside regions, and even appeared on stage at the Manchester Opera House and Liverpool Empire. Molly is to have a ‘leaving do’ on Tuesday 12 June to give her many supporters the chance to wish her farewell and a long and happy retirement. The party will be from 2pm to give all her supporters a chance to see her.
“Whilst we will miss her here at Abbey Hey, I am really pleased that Molly is able to move to Sidmouth where she will be able to receive the specialist treatment that she needs from the on-site team of vets. In the right setting and with the right care, donkeys can cope very well with blindness and sight problems, so we’re confident that Molly will be very happy at Sidmouth where her surroundings have been designed specifically for donkeys with visual impairments.
“Once she has settled in, supporters will be able to visit Molly along with her new friends in the group of donkeys with sight problems. The Donkey Sanctuary’s Sidmouth headquarters is open 365 days a year with free admission and parking, so Molly’s fans will be able to visit her as often as they like.”
To find out more about The Donkey Sanctuary’s riding therapy work for children with additional needs, please visit www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk. For further information that may be of use for your visit, please see www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/visit.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
For an interview, further information or images, please contact The Donkey Sanctuary press office on 01395 573124 or mobile 07970 927778.
About The Donkey Sanctuary
International animal welfare charity The Donkey Sanctuary was founded by the late Dr Elisabeth Svendsen M.B.E. in 1969. It supports projects to alleviate the suffering of donkeys in 28 countries worldwide, including sanctuaries across Europe, where more than 15,000 donkeys and mules have been cared for, and major projects in Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Kenya and Mexico, where donkey welfare is improved through community education and veterinary work. It also provides donkey-assisted therapy for children with additional needs and therapeutic visits for elderly people in the local community from centres in Belfast, Birmingham, Ivybridge, Leeds, Manchester and Sidmouth.
For further information telephone: 01395 578222, view www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk or visit the charity’s headquarters near Sidmouth in Devon (open 365 days/free admission).
A gentle stroll
Image by The Donkey Sanctuary
Our donkey carers take a walk around The Donkey Sanctuary
