We are happy to communicate with the upmost pleasure that Il Rifugio is gradually resuming its activities involving our public, with openings for educational and institutional purposes.  We are delighted to welcome among our beautiful donkeys, upon appointment, classes, supporters who bought our Incontrasino Voucher, volunteers, charities and social bodies, through the organization of coordinated groups following current regulations and conditions requested for health and security.

Next Tuesday 14 July, at 10:00 am, The Donkey Sanctuary will participate to the meeting of the Intergroup of the European Parliament on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals.

The meeting, dedicated to the consequences of the Covid-19 emergency on the welfare of horses, is part of a wider cycle of meetings on the role of the Third Sector in the context of the economic and health crisis.

This story only needs one name. Bianca, an invented name, is a woman with a history of psychological suffering who managed to find a new life at the Rifugio thanks to the contact with donkeys.

In January 2019, the Rifugio degli Asinelli was involved in one of the largest seizures of equidae in recent years. In the province of Alessandria, over 40 donkeys were found in a state of neglect and in poor health. Immediately involved in operations related to animal welfare, we launched this appeal:

"Over 40 donkeys urgently need us: we are looking for caretakers willing to host them and help them start a new life."

Mimì and Rucola were born at the Refuge a few years ago. They are two young donkeys, who have not known the suffering and uncertainty of many of our other guests (read the story of Dante and Margherita here). Yet even if born in a protected context, their mothers come from complicated backgrounds. Giorgina, Mimì's mother, arrived at the Rifugio from Veneto and was so undernourished that we didn't realize that she was pregnant. Surprisingly, we watched her belly grow in the weeks following her arrival at the Rifugio. Mimì was born in 2016.