Dear donkey friends, last Sunday our fundraising campaign to cover the expenses for registering 52 donkeys and mules rescued in Colleferro has ended and it's time to take stock of what we were able to collect thanks to your support!

In the end we collected 3,328€ from 61 individual donors on crowdfunding platform "Rete del Dono", 118€ through the personal fundraising page by our volunteer Valeria, 295€ through bank transfers and 400€ cash on site.

Thank you from the deep of our hearts for making these 52 new lives come true, and keep on following us to know more!

A year-long investigation to determine the welfare standards of donkeys associated with the European donkey milk industry is to be discussed this week at a meeting composed of 12 animal welfare groups that operate across Europe.

The report, supported by The Donkey Sanctuary, has been produced by Dr Michela Minero with a team from the University of Milan and will be presented at a meeting hosted by the charity’s Italian operation, Il Rifugio degli Asinelli.

In 2014 1,736 Italian people chose to donate their 5X1000 (a part of the taxes) to our Rifugio, allowing us to raise 52,290.83 euros for the donkeys: the results were transmitted yesterday by National Tax Agency, and they were worth the delay!

This amount will cover yearly medical expenses for 146 donkeys, mules and hinnies homed at Il Rifugio; so a really big thank you is coming from them (and from all of us).

If you live and work in Italy, you can change your tax declaration into a love declaration using 5X1000.

From 22 to 24 April our Rifugio will host the Basic Course for those in the AAI framework who want to acquire as part of the IAA the role of animal coadjutor, veterinary skilled in AAI, project supervisor, intervention representative and activities’ supervisor.

This course provides the basics of AAI and human-animal relationship, ethical matters, national legislation and contents of the Guidelines. It also allows to deepen the knowledge of team roles and responsibilities of professionals and operators and to improve learners’ awareness on some AAI experiences.