| Corfu Donkey Rescue |
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19
July 2008 The response to the petition and the request for emails to be sent to the authorities has been massive. If they didn’t know about the shelter before they certainly know now. Two radio programmes discussed the issues, one with our Board member Andreas Scuperas and the other was done by Hilary and Harry (Islanders will know who I’m talking about) Also there were reports in various papers. On Tuesday, Andreas had a meeting with Mr Poulimenos the Governor of Corfu. Mr Poulimenos offered his support and help and said that we would be given more time. However, I am still uncertain of how much time we have got and we are waiting on confirmation of this, hopefully we will know more on Monday. Since I have nothing in writing and nothing has been said publicly to confirm we have been given this time I am not going to stop the campaign just yet. Politicians of all nations make promises! I think it would be a show of faith if we stopped sending the emails but I would very much like the petition to stay on line and we will extend the time on this. We will present the petition to the Governor and keep a copy, so if the local council drags its heels during the planning process and licensing we can use it again. I have been overwhelmed by the support and quick action of everyone to get the petition and emailing done. We have had letters of support from all over the world. I can only say my sincerest thanks for helping me help the donkeys. It isn’t over yet, but we are well on the way. I will write a letter of thanks to the Governor on behalf of everyone, but should you wish to write yourself, please do, but perhaps not by email (we don’t want to jam their In Boxes again!) His address is Nomarheio, Kerkyra. The neighbours are very upset that the closure of the shelter was taken off the agenda at the civil council meeting last Wednesday and I have been subject to much verbal abuse however that we can cope with, but they are continuing to remove all my road signs three, four and five times a day. I can’t always keep up with replacing them. It is very upsetting because the visitors are driving round and round looking for us and many give up. This is much lost income for the shelter and a great disappointment for the visitors. I can only apologise. The Supermarket at Gombu on the Paleocastritsa Road do have little maps you can collect to show you the way. I will endeavour to keep trying with the signs. So,
keep on with the petition please, we cannot be complacent, and can
I ask just one more thing. The land will be paid for by two very
generous donations sent for this purpose. But we still need to fence
it and build the stables ready for the winter and connect electric
and water etc. It’s a mammoth task. I will look pretty sad
sitting on the new land with 40 donkeys and no stables in the winter
rains. So I ask you, before closing this site, to spare 5 euros
or 5 pounds and send it as an online donation which can be done
using the Thank you to everyone who helped in any way to support 40 little donkeys in Corfu – I bet the authorities are still in shock that their donkeys mean so much to so many people. 11
July 2008 I had a visit from the police last week asking me to attend a meeting with the District Attorney. I went with my lawyers and they discussed, with ‘THE neighbour’ the situation at the shelter. The outcome was that we were to meet with the Mayor of Paleocastritsa the following Monday. We all piled in his office and the outcome of that was that all the donkeys would be thrown outside the shelter in 20 days and the shelter would be sealed so they could not go back in. In other words, the Dimos were going to abandon the donkeys. Since I live inside the shelter in the caravan, I would effectively be sealed in or out – they never told me which! I should stress that the Mayor is doing what he has been told to do by the DA. However, nobody in local government so far has been prepared to help me. While trying to get a license the last year I have been sent from one office to another to another. Told a lot of nonsense or told they don’t know. I have tried so hard to get information but everyone fobs me off. The only department which has been helpful is the forestry. All we need is time! All we asked for was time to relocate. They will not give us that time. They seem to think that I can take 40 donkeys and find homes for them somewhere? But of course wherever I put them, someone will complain. We have land that is suitable but they will not help us with the license. We have another option but they will not give us time to move. We have to fence the land, build shelters and connect water, electricity, and telephone. This cannot be done in 20 days! 2
years ago they closed the dog shelter on the Island, so we must
not be complacent; they can and maybe will close the donkey’s
shelter. What can you do? Mr Stefanos Poulimenos (Governor of Corfu) grafeionomarxi@kerkyra.gr Paleokastritsa Municipality (The shelters in this region) paleomun@otenet.gr The other great way to help is to go to the online petition and sign it. In a week we will print them off and go to see the Governor himself. Just copy and paste it onto the address line at the top of your internet page. Then it should come up. http://www.petitiononline.com/Corfudon/petition-sign.html Already we have had a great response from Belgium, Germany, UK, Holland, USA, Austria Now for some good news. We are a Member Society of World Society for the Protection of Animals. We are delighted to inform you that our grant application for 5000 dollars has been accepted. We asked for the money to purchase a proper trailer for transportation. Some of you will know the awful vehicle we have been using which was not road worthy and most unsuitable for the poor old donkeys. We are now looking for one, probably from Germany. It must be second hand but in very good condition. It will be great to have this trailer in time to transport the donkeys to their new home! Our sincere thanks to WSPA, a wonderful charity helping so many charities and animals all over the world. They have also written letters to the Governor and Mayor and Ministry today! As you know 9 donkeys went to Gut Aiderbichl in Austria in April. They arrived on Easter Sunday and on this day they invite a priest to bless the animals at the shelter. The Corfu donkeys received their blessing too and were the centre of attention that day. Thanks to all this publicity the children fro Markt/Inn School, Bavaria adopted Avrio. The first picture shows the priest and Michael Aufhauser (founder of Gut Aiderbichl) with the Corfu donkeys and the second, the children from Markt Inn School with the Corfu donkeys that were sent 2 years ago.
Last week we had visitors from Australia. Two families came with their children. They loved to be able to walk around and touch the donkeys. I was totally bowled over when they left. The children had been given money to spend on their holiday. They chose to give it all to the donkeys. That was a total of 160 euros. How reassuring that new generations of children are caring about the animals in this most generous way. Thank you.
For 2 weeks I had the great help and company of Erika and Andreas, mother and daughter from Germany. This is the 3rd time they have come to Corfu and come everyday to help look after the donkeys. They also brought everyday, carrots, apples and special food for the dogs, cats and rabbits, no-one was forgotten. Erika and Andreas also have adopted 2 of our donkeys, Avrio and Shine.
And a very happy ending on a dog story too. Spiros brought me a dog he had found in the middle of nowhere. It is a very old hunting dog of a special breed, rare on the Island. It looked at first as if the dog had been bitten by a snake. I could not get a vet for 2 days so gave treatment I thought would help. By the time we got her to the vet, she was doing better but she needed stitching up. They believed she had been shot. Because she looked so aristocratic I called her Miss Huntington. She made a good recovery and I became very fond of her. However, Spiros eventually found the Greek owner who was delighted to have her back and pay all the bills! Miss Huntington was known as Lisa to her owner and she seemed happy to be reunited, but she came to me before she went as if to say thanks. I was a little sad for myself but very happy for Lisa and to know that the owner cared enough for his dog.
On the donkey front, we have not taken in any donkeys lately. With all the problems we have, we have put them on the waiting list. We have lost two donkeys in the last month. One called Patras was put to sleep to avoid further suffering from what was believed (talking to foreign professionals) to be a problem with the brain. The second was Micro, our smallest donkey. I went to do morning feeds and found Micro staggering about. I took her to a stable for safety but she collapsed and died in my arms. She was not ill before so I can only presume it was heart failure. We have had 3 colic cases in the last 2 weeks. I cant say the cause, colic can be caused of many things. However, Dino our vet was very quick to act and he drenched them with paraffin into the stomach and they all made good recoveries. On the whole, the donkeys are looking very very good, I am quite proud of them! And I will not tell which one bit me yesterday! We are happily busy with many visitors now, the donkeys love it, all the treats and cuddles available and this morning a Dutch family groomed them all and Caitlin even got that much needed bath. They look so smart. I apologise to all visitors who have trouble to find us. Someone??? Keeps taking down all my sign posts – every day! I put them back up as fast as I can, but it is a full time job. That’s it for now; I will keep you posted on progress. Please don’t forget to sign the petition and write those emails – it’s so important. Thank you.
13
June 2008 I have had a great May and June as I have been spoilt with my volunteers and students. Lisa arrived in May for 5 weeks. She is a student from Holland. She had never worked with donkeys before but picked it up very quickly and has been a great help. Brigitte, a student from last year came back to help for 2 weeks. It was great to see her again. Brigitte and Lisa are college friends and are now fully qualified with diplomas in animal care. Brigitte is hoping to return in January for a year, more about that later. Marina my friend came for a week to help and had a great time. She thought she would miss her dog but with all our donkeys, dogs and cats, she didn’t have time to miss her Ziggy. In fact she left here giving me instructions to passport up a stray I feed. She wants to take her home as a companion for Ziggy. I also had my friend Paul here for 2 weeks to help with the maintenance. I have just brought 2 caravans, one to sleep in and one as an office. Paul rigged up the electrics, gas, water supplies and made everything habitable for me. Graham came and sorted the computer and internet connections out. So, I was totally spoilt with all the help and am most grateful. However, everyone is gone now and we are left with the usual gang of volunteers, Cheryl, Colin and Susan. It will be some weeks before we get extra help. This is not a huge problem in the winter but in the summer with all the visitors it can be difficult.
It has been really great to welcome the visitors this year. So many familiar faces returned to see us, and bring goodies for the donkeys. It is great to meet so many like minded people who don’t forget us and we consider ourselves friends, friends together and friends of the donkeys. Obviously we have many first time visitors and their support is much appreciated. I feel very touched when people visit our humble little place and are inspired by it and the work we do. Sometimes I feel embarrassed by the simplicity of the place and the appalling dealer’s yard next door. But our visitors thankfully see beyond that and see how we really do help the donkeys and keep them safe and comfortable within our limited budget. They never fail in their generosity towards the donkeys and the future of the shelter. Most dealers tether their donkeys out in the bushes, this way it costs them nothing to feed the donkeys. Unfortunately the dealers cannot be bothered to check the donkeys twice or even once daily. They leave it 4-5 or even more days. During that time a donkey can get severely tangled in its rope. By then it is usually too late, the blood supply is cut off to the foot. The hoof will drop off and there is nothing that can be done. Below is a picture of a donkey that this happened to, only 2 months ago. The only good thing was that the dealer asked for my help. All I could do was arrange for euthanasia This is the 3rd instance of this happening to his donkeys that I know of. Some people neither learn nor care. But at least we were there to end the donkey’s misery.
One other sad note is that of our dear Tsakis. We finally had our Tsakis put to sleep a few weeks ago. For months she had terrible problems with her front feet and we couldn’t get an accurate diagnosis of the problem. We tried many treatments some showed improvement followed by relapse. In the end her back legs could not take the strain and we decided to let her go. It was a very hard day for all of us as she was such a stoical animal and the sweetest character. She is much missed.
And on a brighter front, from death of an elderly donkey to a celebration of a youngster. Our baby, Paraskevi had her first birthday on 8th June. A large bowl of goodies and a walk to the lake were her presents and all the donkeys received a McVities Hobnob biscuit each to celebrate. Fully recovered from her broken leg, we hope Paraskevi will be rehomed in the Fall where she can live with other young donkeys and lead a more active life fit for a young donkey with nothing but mischief on her mind!
I don’t have broadband/ASDL at the shelter yet so connections are very slow and I cannot send photos or many KB,s, hence the newsletter will be late, until we get ASDL. Also I am without any kind of help in the office so bear with me if I am not replying immediately. Apologies. 01
June 2008 We also collected one from Lefkimmi. She is white and in not bad condition, but old. Both are friendly donkeys but our white one is a little reserved at the moment. We were also given a very old pony that was severely malnourished. Severe dental problems. But we are giving him lots of warm soft food and hopefully he will pick up. GAWF are coming at the end of the month so he will be first on their list for dental work. Several other donkeys have arrived and I will mention them in the next newsletter All the new donkeys will be kept in quarantine until they are blood tested, as the rest of our gang are all clear of EIA after their tests last month. On 4th April I went home to UK for 10 days. Feeling a little tired and overwhelmed by our problems, I decided a break would be a good idea before the new season. I had a great time; believe it or not the sun shone everyday (even on my 3 day visit to Wales). I saw all my friends and family and came back raring to go – and fight the good fight. Julie, Colin and Cheryl stepped in to help out and run the shelter while I was away. Whatever happened while I was away, I knew Julie would not tell me, determined that I should not worry at all. We have made a deal on a super piece of land in the Skripero Valley. We are now in the process of applying for planning permission and licenses. The relevant departments have all pledged their support and want to help. Hopefully things will move quickly and the purchase will be completed in a few months. Then the building……………………. We had a very successful visit from GAWF. Kleo and Michalis came for 3 days and did the teeth and feet of all the donkeys. One day was spent on the Island doing our outreach work. It seems our pony only has a few teeth left – so we will continue with his porridge feeds and give him a happy retirement for as long as he can manage. We don’t normally take ponies, but he was a very special sad case and we could not refuse.
The 5 donkeys and one pony going to UK, were left behind on the first trip due to needing special passports for entry. They left a few weeks later and were sent to The Ezelsocieteit where they are staying until they get their passports. In a couple of weeks they should reach their final destinations in Sussex.
It’s as busy as ever. We have been on German TV, are in the German Tourist Guide Books; so are delighted to have more visitors. Our shelter is ‘poor’ in comparison to most, but it does mean visitors can see that we need the donations and that these donations go directly to the donkeys. Nobody is paid. Also we actively encourage visitors to groom and take the donkeys for walks. Everyone benefits. Just want to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to Angela and Graham from Agni Animal Welfare Fund. (AAWF) They have financed the neutering of 2 of our cats. If people donate to our donkeys, we want them to know that the money does go to the donkeys. AAWF always helps us with our cats. Also a thank you to Gabriele Jacoby who is sponsoring our 2 street dogs until they find homes. We don’t normally take in dogs or cats, these were exceptional circumstances - so please don’t bring us any. We have more than enough to do with our donkeys.
The weather is boiling hot all ready – it is like July. Visitors to Corfu, be prepared! 25th
March 2008 On Friday 21st March we bade farewell to 23 donkeys. It took 15 months to get the papers, but who cares – we did it. We now have the full co-operation of the Corfu state vets. That in itself, took me 4 and a half years, but it is worth it. Unfortunately the 5 donkeys and one pony going to the UK could not leave. They need special individual passports to enter the UK. Guess what – Greece doesn’t do passports for unregistered equines. We can’t pass a donkey off as a racehorse, however hard we try. But fear not, we will get these animals to England, and soon. Sadly, our little donkey Sky, got colic the day before the transport left and although she was fully recovered in 24 hours we dare not risk sending her. So she is hanging out by the gate every day as usual, just getting in the way, as usual, and asking for special titbits, as usual. But now she has a good excuse – she missed the boat. We
took in one donkey a few weeks ago.. A very unusual case. Apparently
the owner totally abused this donkey. Working it so hard and everyday,
riding her when she was already overloaded. Finally the donkey rebelled,
and ‘bit and kicked’ her owner and she ended up in hospital.
The family begged Spiros to take her away. I was a bit dubious about
taking her on, what were we getting? But we need not have worried;
she is a gentle soul and seems to be taking to her change in fortune
very well. Although I regret the owners unfortunate ‘accident’
I can’t help wondering that if a few more donkeys retaliated,
then they might just be treated with a bit more respect. But would
we really want to change the donkey, this gentle and most docile
of creatures? (Except at feed time when half of them behave like
a bunch of hooligans and you wonder if they really are the same
creatures). I am thinking of a name for this donkey, one that befits
her special status as the donkey that stood up for herself. She
is lucky she didn’t get herself shot! A dog would have, without
doubt. 17th
February 2008 Very
bad news on the starving donkeys. I told you we believed 3 had already
died. Since then I tried to get my private vet involved and he did
come to see the remaining 5 donkeys but informed me that I could
not prove they were starving. I then went to the state vets and
one vet told me he knew about the donkeys but since the owner lived
in the same village as him, he could do nothing because they would
shoot him! The next time I went I found only 3 donkeys left and
one of those was dead! There was a stack of hay there, so I was
encouraged that the remaining two would survive. However, 2 weeks
later I returned and there were no donkeys at all, and the stack
of hay remained the same amount as when I had last been there. What
happened to the other two donkeys, I can’t say yet. Maybe
they were moved so the owners could put down the olive nets that
were there. I hope to find out the fate of these last 2 donkeys. Please bear in mind that the 10 donkeys were purchased purely to provide an income for the owners from donkey riding for tourists. All these donkeys were old, one was nearly blind, and non were fit for the job they were brought for. The owners didn’t care, the dealer who sold them didn’t care and what’s more, they will start again this Summer if they think it is financially worth it. To stop this happening again, please do not support these tourist attractions. If you see them, tell the owners or people running the operation, that you will not support them and tell them why, and what happened at Krini/Makrades this Winter. And please telephone me immediately you see something you believe to be a threat to the wellbeing of any donkeys. I will respond to any calls. It is easier to make a difference if it is during the tourist season and tourists can register their disapproval with me. Tourism is Corfu’s primary money earner. We have to hit them where it hurts. We keep Greek Official Complaints Forms which can be obtained at the shelter. (Please do not call me about dogs or cats, please refer to the ‘Links’ page on these matters)
Finally we have got the state vets co-operation (after 14 months) with the export of 25-30 donkeys to fabulous shelters abroad. We should know by the end of this week, whether the blood test results are negative and have a date for their departure. I include a photo of Snow below. Snow was sent with 8 other donkeys to The Ezelsocietiet in Zeist, Holland, the shelter founded by Vera and Harry. Snow had health problems that we could not help her with here. True to her word, Vera arranged for her to receive the best veterinary care and this included surgery by veterinarian Prof. Klein. Snow made a full recovery and can been seen at the shelter in Holland. Also our Marcus received vital surgery for his injuries at the same clinic. Much as we hate to see our donkeys leave Corfu, for some it is the very best option. We are so limited here when it comes to veterinary help. The Ezelsocieteit (see links page for address) does fabulous work for donkeys in Holland and satellite countries and are instrumental in helping us with ours. We have also found a lovely piece of land that we are trying to purchase for the new shelter. At present we are seeking planning permissions to build in that area. If agreed we will purchase and finally see the dream coming true. Then it will be a huge fundraising drive to purchase the necessary building materials to make the shelter a permanent safe haven for Corfu’s remaining donkeys. Any thing you can do in your home country to raise awareness and raise funds will be greatly appreciated and absolutely necessary in order to fulfill this dream. We here, will concentrate on trying to encourage the Greek nationals to contribute. So far, all of our funds have come from abroad. Some of you may remember Bobby a dog we took in 2 years ago. He is not a young dog and blind in one eye. He had a bad history and I’m ashamed to say, caused in part, by an English couple. However, when Vera visited last Sptember, she was very taken with him, and she took him back to Holland to live at her donkey shelter. Here he is enjoying a night out at the pub with a volunteer from the shelter. I think Bobby landed on his feet!.
Volunteers are absolutely essential to keeping the shelter open and caring for the donkeys, so if you don’t enjoy spending all your time on the beach, you are welcome at the shelter. The donkeys always need grooming and enjoy walks out and they thrive on plenty of individual love and attention. And there is always good old fashioned hard work to be done as well. And some socializing is always on the cards! Please consider a working holiday with us, especially this year, as I shall be very busy trying to fundraise and manage the building of the new shelter, I can’t be in two places at once unfortunately. Vera at The Ezelsocieteit can tell you first hand, all about volunteering here or contact Julie at my email address. Let us hope that next month I can bring good news and pictures of the 30 donkeys at their new homes abroad.
January
8th 2008 Unfortunately I have not such good news to start off the New Year. But start with the bad news I will, and end on a good note of hope and optimism. Sadly a few days before Christmas we had Anixi put to sleep. She was only with us a few weeks but came in suffering so badly from COPD. After 2 very serious attacks where she collapsed, we decided that she should suffer no more. A cure being unavailable and no response of any kind to the usual medicines for this problem, we knew we could do no more. Anixi spent the last few weeks of her life knowing love, gentleness and caring. We miss her. I am trying to help in two cases of owners starving their donkeys and horses to death. Sadly I am getting nowhere. In one case, we believe at least 3 animals had already died. Of the remaining 5, our vet said there was no evidence, in this case, that the animals were starving to death. The fact that the donkeys were eating their own wooden barn and the bark from the olive trees did not constitute evidence of any kind. Of course the vet had not seen the before and after health of the donkeys, only the after. I have to wait till they are minutes from death. I then asked another vet what I could do and he said that he knew about these donkeys, they were in his village, they were starving to death but he would do nothing because they would shoot him. In the other case, again, no-one will do anything due to fear of retribution, but this man has starved 3 horses to death in the last year that we know of. Just to digress slightly. We do still help occasionally with dogs we find abandoned or in trouble. Before Christmas I found this one tied up near the shelter. It really was a pitiful sight. On a 2 metre chain next to a rusty barrel, both ends open and holes in the roof – however that was irrelevant as the chain was too short so the dog could not get in it anyway! It was forced to sit outside in the most appalling freezing weather and also in the monsoon rains. To top this, he was fed by means of throwing down a carrier bag of kitchen waste. After he frantically ripped open the bag, the dog found potato peelings, lemons, oranges, tomatoes, cabbage and other things I could not recognise, nor wanted to. He must have found something edible as he was still alive. However when I found him he was a bag of bones, shivering all over and peed himself. I took food everyday until I could find away to ‘rescue’ him. Problems is, you find the owner and ask for the dog if they don’t want it. They either say yes or no. If they say no, in all likelihood, they will then move the dog to another location unknown to us. Then we cannot help the dog at all, not even by feeding it. Does anyone have any other ideas? Donkeys and dogs are left with no shelter in the most appalling weather imaginable.
And finally on the bad news but could have been much worse news, is this. On the way home one evening in December, the road collapsed and my jeep slid off down the steep and deep hill, sideways. It came to a halt thanks to some strong bushes growing on the side of the slope. The jeep, my dogs and I suffered not a scratch. But in typical Greek fashion – the jeep sustained major injuries when the men came to haul her out of the ravine. I knew I should have called the professionals instead of the cowboys!!
Good news. Yes there is some. The donkeys have had a good winter so far. Colin built 4 separate stables inside the big barn. This saved our ‘fallers’ Sirus and Hydra, so when they couldn’t get up on their own in the morning, they had a soft, safe bed to lie on until we arrived to stand them up. Plus we now have 2 spare stables for any others that might get sick or need a quiet place away from the others. I just wanted to say here, publicly, a huge thank you to Colin and Cheryl Eve, volunteers at the shelter since September. When they heard that my other helpers were away all over Christmas and New Year, they came in every day, for over a month, to help me, including Christmas day and New Year. This has been fantastic as normally I am on my own totally during this period and my strength is severely strapped. But this Christmas I not only had strength but we all had a lot of fun and retsina too.
When I was at the Donkey Conference in Hydra, I met Yiorgos (George) a veterinary student studying at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki. He said he came from Corfu and would come and help us at Christmas. And so he did. It was great to have some extra help and George was so sweet and patient with all the animals. He is going to make a great vet for sure. He didn’t even moan when he got kicked. I am pleased to say we introduced him to the British culinary delights of cheese toasties with Branston Pickle and Piccalilli, and he now tells us he has converted his university friends to it. I wonder if we can get Branston to sponsor us as sales must be increasing all over Greece as word gets around!
The Ezelsocieteit, Holland, held a Memorial Day for all the donkeys they lost last year and very kindly had a special wall of remembrance for all the Corfu donkeys lost this last year.
Also, we needed to rent more land as the shelter could not keep 55 donkeys on it. We found some nearby but it had no barn or stables on it. The Ezelsocieteit again came to our rescue with the quick dispatch of an army tent. This has enabled our 22 donkeys to have shelter from the rotten winter weather we have had so far.
The 24 donkeys should be leaving here for their new homes on 4th February. This is over one year later than planned and nothing is certain yet! I ordered 300 bales of good quality hay only from the mainland before Christmas. Today, it finally arrived weeks later than expected. I received 300 bales of poor quality straw. I refused to accept it and sent them away. Apparently in Corfu hay is known as hay but on the mainland, hay is called something else and straw is called hay! Is this true? I doubt it. Please keep the donations coming, we are using 8 bales of hay a day to feed the donkeys – this is 58 euros a day, that’s 406 euros a week – just for hay. Thank you everyone for your support and good wishes, it really keeps us going in the midst of winter, the mud, and the rain that you can only get in Corfu! Soon be Spring! Wed
9th December Well, so far the 25 donkeys have not left to go their new homes. BUT trust us, we are still working on it and with the help of our many friends and contacts, it may happen yet. Maybe not in time for Christmas but as a New Year present to them. After all it was a year ago come January 19th 2008 that they were first destined to depart. Quite a few new donkeys have arrived since the end of the season. Circa came into the shelter in October to have her teeth checked by Alec. She was very poorly so we told the owner and he was happy for us help her get better. She is now much improved but her twisted neck would make it impossible for her to work again. The owner has told us to keep her. Kroma and Xioni were given to us by the dealer. Kroma had appalling twisted hooves and Xioni was deemed too old to sell. They are both very sweet and contented little donkeys now. Lieke arrived at the end of October and was given to us by a friend of one of our members, Panayotis. The owner was adamant the donkey came to CDR and did not end up at the slaughter houses. Lieke is blind in one eye, has a twisted neck and very old, but she has a great appetite and strong will. After an escape attempt, we found her 2 km up the dirt track. She was then given her own private stable and has obviously now decided there was no place like CDR and only leaves her stable reluctantly in the morning if we insist. Dina came from Krini. She is almost blind and was being used to give donkey rides to tourists. She ended up back at the dealer’s yard. He was more than happy to sell her again as a working donkey. Fortunately an organisation heard about her plight and purchased her and then gave her to us. She is very pretty and is a great favourite with Julie who helps us here. She is rather too noisy for my liking. Why is it that the blind donkeys make the most noise? Panyotis often comes to visit us. In November on his way home he called me. He had found a donkey wondering free south of Kastallanoi. Enquiries revealed nothing, she was another ‘statisitic’ - thrown out. This new donkey called Anixi is very large. She has a respiratory problem which needs investigating. She has not responded to normal treatment. However she is eating well and seems quite bemused by all the activity going on around her. Tomorrow I collect one more from an elderly lady in Ermones, who has been waiting patiently for 6 months for me to take her donkey in. She also is concerned that her donkey doesn’t end up at the slaughter houses. It is so good to know that so many owners do care about their donkeys. They had no choice in the past but to send them to the dealers knowing where they would end up. 2 nights ago I was invited for a Name Day supper at a neighbours house and listened as the granddaughter told me the tale of their family donkey being sold when she was a child. Tears came to her eyes as she told me the family knew where the donkey would end up. But they had no choice. It
is thanks to your support of our charity that these stories will
become a thing of the past. In Corfu, the donkey owners do have
a choice now. Let’s hope, for their donkey’s sake, the
owners choose to make their old donkey, a gift to CDR.
5th November 2007 We have had so much rain in the last three weeks and that makes the work much harder. Just walking through the mud at the shelter is hard enough, walking while pushing wheelbarrows full of donkey poo or bales of hay is somewhat harder for the likes of me, who is aging fast. All my foreign volunteers have returned to home countries so us stalwarts who live here are all that remain. My thanks go to Susan and Colin and Cheryl, who helped me out in the summer and much to my surprise, are still turning up on their days, despite wind, rain and mud! Believe me, it is not easy here. A few hundred tons of concrete would help matters. Life was supposed to be easier with the departure of the 25 donkeys in the first week of October. This has not happened. Due to many problems too complicated to go into, the donkeys are still here and the last transport this year is 15th November. We are pulling everything out of the bag to ensure their departure, but success remains to be seen. The eviction on the other hand, leads me to good news. On the appointed date, 1st November, I was up at the shelter at the crack of dawn to feed the donkeys and tidy up before the promised demonstrations and arrival of the police. Nothing happened! Why, I am not sure. I believe that the media interest in our work and support shown by Mr Poulimenos the Governor of Corfu, may well have stalled the locals. We have made it clear that we are doing our best to find new premises and move. It is obvious we have outgrown the shelter and need more space. In fact, for the first time in over a year, the neighbours walked past the shelter and me and said a ‘Kalimera’ - good morning, only 2 days ago. Perhaps they have finally realised that I am not in business to make money fattening up donkeys to sell to the Italian meat market but am genuinely here to help the old, injured and abandoned donkeys on the Island. Whatever has made them more patient, I can only say ‘thank you’ and reiterate my promise – we will leave to pastures new as soon as we have suitable premises for the donkeys. What is new on the donkey front? Well, believing that 25 donkeys were leaving in October I took in more donkeys as and when the need arrived. Fortunately the ones that came in were not so sick but are old and had foot or limb problems that meant they were ‘worthless’, also 2 have come in that are severe sight problems bringing our total of blind or nearly blind donkeys to 5. We took our Bob to a celebration and release of wild birds in conjunction with EKPAZ (Hellenic Wildlife Centre based on Aegina, who rescue and rehabilitate injured birds and wildlife). Mr Poulemenos was present and the Mayor of Achilleon. 50 school children all wanted to sit on Bob and they did. Bob behaved perfectly. All the children were Greek and for some it was their first experience with wild animals and donkeys. I am delighted to report that I have never seen so many wild birds of prey in central Corfu as I have since the release in September. Yesterday a kestrel flew in to the shelter olive tree and took out a sparrow. It was horrible to see and hear but a delight to know the release was a success and the birds have not all been shot within weeks as the sceptics forecast At least they have a second chance. On World Animal Day in October we were asked by our vet Dino Burloyannis to take Bob to the Old Fort for the children to see. It was great publicity for the shelter and great news that the Greeks recognised this special day. Last week we were visited by 20 mature students from IEK school. The visit was part of their studies in biology and ecology of animals. They are all training to be forest rangers. They were very enthusiastic and surprised to see there were so many donkeys. Like so many locals on the island, nobody realised there was a problem with donkeys on Corfu. Before our existence, the old and injured donkeys were simply shipped to the slaughter houses in Italy. Nobody was aware of this. The students have to write a report and the best one is published – more great publicity for the shelter and the work we do. And the more awareness, the more help we can receive. That’s about it. In a few weeks I should have some good news about the new shelter. I make an apology here for any of you that have emailed or sponsored a donkey and are waiting for information etc. My secretary has been away for a month and will return at the end of November. I am doing my best to keep up with the admin but as I said, we are short staffed at the shelter so I am working a lot there as well. Julie will get us back on track as soon as she is home. Thanks
for your support October
10 2007 We have taken in many donkeys with various problems this year. Some serious, others just related to old age and neglect. We have had our successes and unfortunately we have had to let some go. But be assured all was done to that possibly could be, on this Island, and they had a peaceful and comfortable few weeks or months at the shelter, at the end of their lives. Last week, The Ezelsocieteit – see Link, organised a visit from Alex Chatwick and English dentist living in Holland. He gave his valuable time for free and the Ezelsocieteit covered all the expenses. So, the outcome was a hectic week but all the donkeys that will remain at the shelter this winter all have a ‘new set of teeth’. Alex was quite staggered by some of the problems – rocky mountains and sharks teeth, were just some of the comments made. But he handled everything with quiet professionalism and a super job was done. We also managed to fit in some outreach work on some working donkeys that had severe dental problems. We are sending 25 donkeys to shelters in Austria, Holland and UK on 27th October.. These are super places and the donkeys will receive the best of everything on arrival. Although I will miss the donkeys I am happy for them that they will have a good life. The bonus for us left in Corfu means we will have more room at the shelter to take on other needy cases. We have a waiting list! On
Saturday I went to collect a donkey that was in very poor condition.
The owner had brought 10 donkeys in the summer to use for children
to ride to make money. One donkey broke his leg and was put to sleep.
At the end of the season the donkeys were sent to their winter quarters
and there they have remained. Telephone calls from tourists and
local Greeks asked me to investigate. Their condition had deteriorated
very much since their sale in the summer. Only 2 donkeys were up
to weight. The remaining 7 were totally undernourished and one I
discovered was almost blind. When Alex the dentist was here, we
went and did the teeth of 7 of the donkeys. This would help them
to get the most nourishment from what little food there was. I spoke
to the owner about the worst case, not mentioning the others –
diplomacy is paramount – and asked if I could take her, as
she would surely die this winter. He agreed. So I went with Spiros
to collect her. We were not a moment too soon. She had fallen and
got her feet trapped, she could not get up. I managed to release
her and persuade her up and slowly she walked to the trailer. That
afternoon the heavens opened like it can only do in Corfu, and we
had the worst thunder storm this year. The donkey, now named Krini,
would certainly have died that night. However, she was tucked up
in a nice warm stable with plenty of food and hopefully she will
make a full recovery from her ordeal as a ‘working donkey’
aged 30! I will be watching out for the other donkeys. Tomorrow
the vet is coming to take samples of blood from the travelling donkeys
so we will be sure they are free from notifiable diseases and they
can get the all clear to travel. Hope
all this is of interest to you. If you want to know about particular
donkeys or any other topic of interest to you in the next weblogs,
email me. |
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