The Donkey Sanctuary
Charity number: 264818
Website: www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk
Description:
The Donkey Sanctuary is one of the largest equine welfare charities in the world and has more than 6,000 donkeys and mules in its care across the UK and Europe.
Founded in 1969 by Dr Elisabeth Svendsen, The Donkey Sanctuary has become a global leader for equine welfare, research and veterinary care.
Internationally, The Donkey Sanctuary operates programmes for donkeys and mules working in agriculture, industry and transportation. Worldwide, more than 500 million people still rely on working equids as a lifeline to support their livelihoods.
The Donkey’s Sanctuary’s campaign to Stop the Slaughter – end the donkey skin trade is the single biggest donkey protection initiative the charity has undertaken in over 50 years of operation.
According to their latest figures, around the world at least 5.9 million donkeys are now slaughtered every year to meet escalating demand for ejiao, a traditional Chinese medicine, made using collagen from their skins. By working with partners, governments and industries around the world, The Donkey Sanctuary is leading the fight to end the trade in donkey skins and encourage the ejiao industry to explore sustainable and cruelty-free alternatives.
The Donkey Sanctuary has 10 sanctuaries around the UK and Europe, giving lifelong care to over 6,000 donkeys and mules.
The charity’s state-of-the art donkey hospital is a centre of excellence and treats sick donkeys both inside and outside the care of the charity, while its ‘Donkey Academy’ Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) offers high-quality training resources developed by our donkey and mule experts.
The charity’s Donkey-Assisted Activities programme supports the development of people's life skills and wellbeing, helping individuals to better deal with challenges in everyday life, while also promoting positive attitudes towards donkeys.
The Donkey Sanctuary’s Vision is to help improve the lives of donkeys and mules. It will continue to support and share world-leading veterinary, behavioural and environmental science and the wisdom of people who live and work alongside donkeys all over the world.