Pegasus Sanctuary Update 2021

Rahat

He suffered in silence…

Rahat continues to be the life of the farm. He can often be seen bouncing his way to the fresh hay during mealtime. It truly makes us so happy to watch him freely enjoy life!

It’s frightening to recall how Rahat’s story began as he and other donkeys were roaming around the city of Rahat (in the northern Negev) and were caught by a gang of boys. He was the smallest, and completely helpless against the evil and cruelty about to happen.

They tied a plastic sheet to his back, poured gasoline over him and set him on fire! The sheet of plastic burned and scorched his back and sides as he suffered in silence.

A kind local found Rahat shaking and suffering and hid him in his yard, calling the animal rescue foundation immediately, who then reached out to us. He had burns covering a large area of his body and back, and the pain was unbearable.

When the Pegasus trailer came, Rahat knew instinctively that this was his escape and so he began his first day to the rest of his happy life. The road to rehabilitation was long, however, and included months of burn therapy and daily treatments and medications.

Little Rahat’s destiny had certainly changed that day from uncertainty to pure love and protection. His scars have healed and his he has been living a well-deserved life surrounded by safe humans who truly care about him.

He shows his appreciation with every hug!

Ness

Ness continues to be a living miracle around Pegasus. One look at him and we smile! His strength and resilience and… let’s not forget ability to forgive… is awesome and deserving of a hug every time he strolls on over.

Of course, there are no words to describe what he went through. He was tortured at the hands of humans and left to die. It is just short of a MIRACLE (Ness in Hebrew) that he survived! The treatments were so very hard and extremely painful – for him as well as for us. There were times of despair and hopelessness, but we didn’t give up on treating him and we didn’t listen to the many who urged us to euthanize him. There was always that one paralyzing thought – in this modern world, how could people decide to burn a donkey alive as if he was some old, useless tire? It’s so hard to bear the knowledge that there are still people out there capable of such horrendous acts. Sigh

Some time has passed now since that tragic call for rescue. We have taken care of hundreds of wounded donkeys, but the heartbreak of helping Ness get through his burn therapy and survive the incident will forever be burned in our minds.

We prefer to focus on the bright side, however. Yes, the flammable substance was poured all over his back, but it must have burned quickly so no tissue damage there. Yes, his ears were badly burned, and parts have fallen off, but he CAN hear. Yes, the damage was mostly around his head, his eyes swollen shut, but he CAN see. And yes, he was tortured at the hands of humans and left to die, but Ness has forgiven… and is a living miracle!

Chaim

We named him Chaim (Life in Hebrew)

Chaim has certainly grown to be a healthy and handsome donkey here at Pegasus. If those kind people would not have reached him on time, young Chaim’s life would have been tragically cut short. He was found by some neighbors, on the brink of death.

But now Chaim is often seen running with the other donkeys and rolling around in the dirt. This brings us such joy…especially to the ones who were there the day Chaim was brought in.

We didn’t have much cause for hope that day as he lay on the ground, completely unable to move. His neck was twisted but his lips were moving, as if he was trying to whisper, "help me”. Chaim, a young foal about 7 months old, was tied to a tree by some boys. The rope became tangled and he tried to break free, causing grave damage to his neck and to his eye, which eventually became dislocated!

When we arrived it looked really bad, but suddenly he showed some signs of life and even tried to get up. We helped prop him up and he succeeded to stand – a true miracle!! Very slowly we took him to the trailer and brought him to our sanctuary.

Chaim underwent many extensive treatments by a chiropractor, massages, and acupuncture and after about 6 months we started to see change and his neck began to straighten.
He lost his left eye, but he is very happy looking at the world with his one healthy eye.

We are so happy this turned out to be a story of survival from the hands of cruel humans.

Shmaya

Shmaya hears only sounds of love 

Shmaya continues to be an icon here at Pegasus. He is a favorite to many and very dear to our hearts. Shmaya is one of our original rescues and has been with us the longest. He is one of the lucky ones that helped us begin our journey of donkey and horse rescues here at Pegasus 15 years ago!

His story is one of extreme pain and cruelty as he had to endure his ears being cut or torn off. He lost his hearing as a result of the damage. Being our first donkey rescue, Shmaya (to hear) taught us all about forgiveness. He embraced us humans at the Sanctuary right away and of course became the symbol of friendship for all the rescues that came after him. We find ourselves perplexed and often angry at the display of cruelty and abuse we would often witness. Shmaya is a constant reminder to forgive and teach others through love.

How does he do that? With huge hugs!

Although he can’t hear, he certainly sees us coming and runs over to greet us. The moment we step foot into the donkey area at our Sanctuary, Shmaya is strolling toward us, sticking to our side lovingly. He was indeed our first and will always be a constant reminder of the importance of every single rescue donkey.

When you are part of a warm, loving family, no handicap can prevent you from being happy. Even though his ears have been cut off, Shmaya can hear only words of love!

Eldad

We see you smiling Eldad! 

Eldad continues to be the leader of the pack here at Pegasus. He seems to celebrate life and freedom every day. His smile shows that! We often hear guests comment on his happy grin as Eldad is strolling toward them. It’s better they don’t know what this playful donkey endured in his past.

Eldad is one of the lucky survivors of the cruel and severely damaging ritual of tying donkeys’ legs to keep them from running away. When we rescued him from the desert, his legs had been cruelly held together with ropes and wire!

There were very deep cuts that were severely infected. Yes, the pain must have been unbearable. When we got to him, Eldad seemed to be smiling and nuzzled up to us right away. Donkeys can be so forgiving and easily forget about their painful past, but it is definitely harder for us to forget as we repair their open wounds.

Today, Eldad is still strong and still so very kind. When one of our donkeys needed a blood transfusion due to acute anemia as a result of blood loss from her deep wound, Eldad came to the rescue. He was her hero and donated blood to save her life. It’s a beautiful story of paying forward…one rescue to another.

Zvika rarely plays favorites at Pegasus but always having Eldad by his side is a tell-tale sign of which donkey holds the key to his heart. And if anyone stands still long enough, Eldad will be there right next to them… seeming to look up at them with a smile :)

We pray that Eldad proudly gallops around our Sanctuary, playing with everyone, always happy that his legs and his soul are forever free, for many more years to come.

Jordan

 It’s been 10 years since that dramatic day of the newsworthy rescue of sweet Jordan. 

Jordan cannot go unnoticed around Pegasus. You may think his missing leg is the reason why…but it’s actually due to his adorable face! Watch out…Jordan can steal your heart when he nuzzles up to you.

His rescue was one of the more memorable ones:

Jordan stepped on a mine on the Jordanian side of the border and our soldiers who saw him from across the fence contacted us for assistance. He was limping on 3 legs inside the minefield! When we arrived, a full-blown rescue was under way. They had already opened a war-room to coordinate the activities and dozens of soldiers were assigned to the mission. Explosive specialists from the engineering corps were on their way. Commanders with detailed maps of the minefield were present and armored vehicles and ambulances were waiting on the side. We were so happy to see so many people coming together for the rescue of one suffering animal still in imminent danger and they were so happy to see us

We took an apple and some bread slices from the field kitchen and called Jordan to approach us. While all the others were studying the maps, Jordan was already standing next to us on the other side of the fence. All we had to do was ask the soldiers to cut a gap in the fence and within minutes he was safely on our side of the border! Ever since then Jordan has been an honorary citizen of the State of Israel and the Pegasus Society.

Now, more than 10 years later, Jordan continues to be a living example of how one can endure a physical challenge yet live life to its fullest. He loves to be knee deep in the fresh pile of hay and we love to watch. After he’s had his fill, he always walks over to us, ever so slowly, bowing his head for some love and just to say thank you.