Blind Love Working Donkeys Oct Update - Hay, Healing, and Happy Faces: Kindness to Grahamstown’s Donkeys

Our project partners, Blind Love, have been out in the field, helping donkeys and their owners in the community. With the help of our kind-hearted supporters, Blind Love has provided essential care to these hardworking animals and held outreaches to support many more donkeys in need.

On 9th September, the Blind Love team travelled to Grahamstown with Dr Annie for a follow-up visit on the donkey named Lady, whom they had seen during their outreach in August. Lady had suffered from severe abscesses on her face, which Dr Annie had previously treated. She was delighted with Lady's healing progress, noting that fine hair was even beginning to grow back! Dr Annie gave her face another thorough cleaning and administered more long-acting antibiotics.

Thanks to additional funds, Dr Annie was also able to castrate another male donkey on the same day. The team is hopeful that more owners will come forward, willing to have their male donkeys treated.

Additionally, the team delivered a significant amount of hay on that day, an initiative organised by Dr Annie, who is a member of the Grahamstown Riding Club. She had asked them to collect all the sweepings from the ground that the picky horses would not eat. The donkeys thoroughly enjoyed this grass, and the team plans to continue collecting and delivering it each month.

Donkey treated for mange / Donkeys enjoying the hay!

The team also organised puppy food for two little pups belonging to a donkey owner whose mother had sadly been poisoned. 

Outreach

On Saturday, 21st September, the team held another donkey outreach, attracting a good turnout of 27 donkeys. All donkeys were checked and treated for internal and external parasites, including worms, ticks, and flies. 

Minor wounds were treated, and the team was pleased with the overall condition of the donkeys.

The team distributed another batch of 15 humane harnesses. They also delivered more hay donated by the Grahamstown Riding Club and a lady named Eva Reid.

When the team saw Lady again, the donkey with the facial abscesses, she was looking really good and healing beautifully. They also treated another donkey suffering from a severe case of mange and asked the owner to bring it for a follow-up at their next outreach.

Lady healing so nicely! / Donkey getting some love and pats

The team enjoyed chatting with all the owners, who were very keen for them to organise a Donkey Carnival, an event that used to take place many years ago in Grahamstown. Local businesses would sponsor a cart, which would be fixed up and painted. 

The donkeys would be groomed, everyone would have balloons, dress up and there would be a parade through town ending at a central location. Prizes would be awarded for the best-looking donkey, the best cart, etc. and the owners would receive food hampers.

Every donation, kind word and shared story brings more attention to working animals. Together, the Blind Love team will keep helping animals who often go unseen, making sure they get kindness and respect.

Thank you to our supporters who help us advocate and care for animals.