Press release

The following statement has been produced by The Donkey Sanctuary in response to the press coverage surrounding donkey cruelty in Russia.

21st May 2010, 12.00pm. News Release issued by The Donkey Sanctuary’s Press Office

From May 2010, vets, veterinary nurses and students will have access to a new source of accurate, regularly reviewed, practical and research-led information about donkeys thanks to a new section of the WikiVet website sponsored by the Sidmouth-based Donkey Sanctuary.

El Refugio del Burrito, a subsidiary of the Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary, is campaigning through a petition to put a stop to a brutal fiesta that takes place every Shrove Tuesday in the Spanish village of Villanueva de la Vera which sees a helpless donkey being dragged through crowded streets in the name of tradition.

Each year, villagers and visitors from the surrounding area of Villanueva de la Vera celebrate the carnival of Peropalo during which a donkey is ridden through the village by a drunken rider and is subjected to degrading and cruel treatment.

Over 1,000 visitors and members of the local authorities attended the official opening of a local donkey rescue centre, Fondazione Il Rifugio degli Asinelli O.N.L.U.S. (IRDA), on Saturday 22nd August 2009.

A new foal has been born this month at Fondazione Il Rifugio degli Asinelli O.N.L.U.S. She is the 105th donkey to be cared for by the charity which officially opens on Saturday 22nd August 2009.

The parents of the foal, which was born on Tuesday 11th August, have been homed at the centre from Valli di Lanzo (Lanzo Valley) since December as they were suffering with severe problems with their hooves and they were covered in parasites.