Have you ever wondered how and why donkeys and mules end up at the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada?
“It’s a common question we get,” said Kayla Johnson, animal welfare and education manager with the sanctuary.
That’s why the sanctuary is offering a free webinar called “Why Donkeys.”
Located in Puslinch, the sanctuary is home to around 100 donkeys and mules at any given time, with a growing waitlist. The animals often arrive feral, coming from poor conditions where they’ve experienced neglect, abuse or abandonment.
Intended for anyone remotely interested in donkeys, from caretakers to curious community members, the webinar aims to show why places like the sanctuary are so important while debunking common myths about donkeys that often give them a bad rap and contribute to their welfare concerns, she said.
One of the main welfare issues, she said, is living in a Canadian climate – by nature, donkeys aren’t really equipped for cold weather.
And while they might look like horses, they require a different kind of care.
For instance, horses typically grow winter coats to keep them warm during the colder months, while donkey’s don’t.
“(Donkeys and horses) look so similar that most of the time people assume they're cared for in the exact same ways. And the reality is that they're not,” Johnson said.
The bottom line is that donkeys are misunderstood, which impacts every aspect of their care from behaviour to nutrition.
“So people in this webinar will learn a little bit more about what we call the true nature of donkeys, being that there are so many misconceptions about (them) being stubborn or unfeeling,” she said.
For instance, lots of people get donkeys because they assume they’re easy or cheap to care for. Even the provincial government advertises them as livestock guardians, which she said is another big misunderstanding – while donkeys can be territorial, not all of them are, and are therefore not equipped to be livestock guardians.
Donkeys also have really good poker faces, she said, which makes it hard to diagnose them when they’re sick.
The first of three webinars on Feb. 10 was well attended and well-received, she said, with about 75 people tuning in.
“It brought some really great discussion,” she said.
The webinar was recorded for anyone who would like to listen.
The next two webinars will be held on Feb. 24 from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. and Feb. 28 from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. It’s free to attend, and you can register by emailing [email protected].
Johnson said they hope to offer more educational and discussion-prompting events like this moving forward to show their appreciation for the community and to combat misconceptions around donkeys.
“What makes DSP so important? Of course, it’s the donkeys, but it is also the people, it’s the volunteers who dedicate their time with us, the staff has been here for years, our supporters who’ve been with us for just as much time,” she said.
