A new life for Mustafa
Posted on 11 April 2018.Maybe you remember that some months ago we told you about the sudden loss of Jonny, one of our foster donkeys, and the choice taken by his guardians to welcome a new donkey, Mustafa, a giant-sized donkey who had been living at our Rifugio for ten years after being rescued in Isola d’Elba. We are really happy to give you some great updates, just as told by his enthusiastic guardians Lorenzo and Simona.
“When we first saw Mustafa, we thought that he was… nice! Well, we had not seen him before and we had to get to know each other. We decided to keep our other foster donkey Chandoline and horse Cleopatra separated for a while, but after we noticed that they had settled, the first meeting happened. After 24 hours of mutual mischief, love had sprung: today Chandoline and Mustafa move, run, eat, have a dust baths always together”.
Mustafa has already settled into his own routine, and one of his favourite parts of the day is mealtime: “Donkeys and horse Cleopatra have two stables nearby” tells Lorenzo. “When I bring hay inside Cleopatra’s stable, Mustafa follows me to grab two strands of hay – not one more, not one less! Then he comes out and waits. When I put the hay in the stable he shares with Chandoline, again he enters, takes two more strands, then goes out for cuddles. Only after he has received them he’s satisfied and can finally start to have his meal!”
We asked Lorenzo and Simona what it means to be a guardian for these donkeys: “It is a big responsibility” says Simona. “But eventhough it would have been easy to buy a pair, we preferred fostering because we wanted to give a second chance to two unlucky donkeys. We got in contact with Il Rifugio and then went ahead on this path because we have always trusted the charity and the people working for it”.
We could not help but asking for a memory of unforgettable Jonny: “There are so many” Lorenzo replied.
“Every day, before going to sleep, my wife wishes everyone good night: ‘Hi Cleopatra, hello Chandoline, hello Mustafa… hello Jonny’. And on the stable door there is still his engraved - because, for us, he is always there”.
Do you want to open your heart to two donkeys and give them (and you) a wonderful life?
If you live in Italy, please read here and apply to become a donkey guardian today.