Saving Donkeys & Changing Lives in Ireland | Podcast
Ireland’s donkey sanctuary is not an easy place to get to. Liscarroll is 100 miles from Galway and 48 miles from Cork. But that is where the donkeys have room to run and where they they can retire in safety.
There are about 150 donkeys living there. And these are just a part of the overall rescue effort that houses 1500 donkeys at the sanctuary’s collective properties around the country. But Liscarrol is where you can visit those fuzzy-faced donkeys.
When Ireland revolutionized its agriculture, donkeys were replaced with tractors. Many were turned out to fare for themselves.
Donkeys can’t take care of themselves. They depend on people to feed them and take care of them. And every donkey in care here has a backstory.
Some were rescued from bogs around the country, some were born here when pregnant donkeys were placed here, some were found wandering with overgrown hooves and in poor health. Here they are fed, cared for and able to live out their lives safely.
But here’s the twist. As much as this sanctuary is a life changing place for them…it is also a transforming place for those taking care of them.
A few are paid staff, but most are volunteers. They work with the donkeys at different levels. There are veterinarians, ferries, staff who run the non-profit that supports this effort and people like Sean.
He came here on a whim and has stayed for seven years. You can join the team caring for these donkeys too. You can visit the sanctuary in Ireland and you can adopt a donkey and pay for his or her care for a year.
And you can hear Sean’s story, and all about the donkeys who love him, in this episode of Erin’s Isle. Just click on the audio bar below.
