Sathya Sai Donkey Sanctuary CLG.

Sathya Sai Donkey Sanctuary CLG. was founded in 1991 for the purpose of rescuing Ireland’s “lost” donkeys, most of which are elderly, sick or injured.
Once a valuable part of the national heritage these animals had spent their lives working on farms hauling, ploughing, harrowing, sowing and reaping, and on the bogs bringing turf for the hearths.

With the advent of the tractor and other farm machinery the donkey soon became redundant and now no longer fits into a world geared for profit and productivity.

Many such animals were shipped by live transport to the Continent, especially Italy where they were used in salami; others were simply sent to the knackers as unwanted.
The lucky ones remained on the farm where, to this day, a donkey’s presence is considered good luck.

These are the ones that still come into care on a regular basis as their elderly owners go into homes, hospitals or die, leaving younger people to inherit a farm they have little chance of working in today’s economic climate.

Almost without exception, donkeys taken into care at the Sanctuary arrive in poor condition.
Most notable is the state of their hooves which are invariably either severely overgrown, laminitic or very badly managed, resulting in the symbiotic complaints of overshot fetlock joints, damaged knees and arthritis.
Many suffer with spinal problems due to being asked to pull or carry loads too heavy for their small frame and almost all will suffer some level of parasite damage.

Over the years the Sanctuary’s work has extended to mules, ponies and a few larger horses.
Numbers in care vary: young healthy donkeys may be placed in foster homes but the majority of intakes are too damaged to go elsewhere and live out their lives in the peaceful surroundings of the Bricklieve Hills.

Counties Covered:
Connaught Sligo.

Sathya Sai Sanctuary Trust for Nature, Castlebaldwin, County Sligo, F52 H046, Ireland