Dedicated to donkeys, donkey days, donkey devotee
“If hard work pays, then show me a rich donkey” may just be a saying but for those rescuing and caring for these animals, the reality is that their hard work doesn’t pay and donations are desperately needed.
“Donkeys are extremely intelligent, contrary to what many people think. Donkeys are not stubborn, it’s more that people don’t understand donkeys. Donkeys have been around as long as mankind has, they are a beast of burden and they are also an extremely forgiving animal.”
Sandy Kokas-Magnussen would know. Sandy runs Australia’s only donkey sanctuary, and her family has been rescuing and caring for donkeys for more than 50 years. “It’s called the Good Samaritan Donkey Sanctuary (GSDS) and my mum started it in 1972 after rescuing her first donkey.” says Sandy.
In 1990, the Sanctuary became a charity organisation and in 2000, Sandy’s mum, Jo-Anne Kokas, received an Order of Australia for her services.
Why do donkeys need rescuing?
To date the Sanctuary has rescued 4211 abused, mistreated and unwanted donkeys from across Australia.
According to Sandy, “It’s the same with any pet, people say ‘let’s get a donkey’ then the novelty wears off, especially when they realise that donkeys can live to be 50 years old. Donkeys are a huge fad at the moment, like they were in the 70s and 80s. People have been leaving the cities and buying property so they can have their own little mini farm, with a mini donkey and that trend has happened quite rapidly over the last few years.”
So, when a donkey’s days are numbered and there’s no where else for them to go, Sandy often gets the call to come and collect them. Sandy and her team have taken in donkeys from all over the country – including Tasmania, Victoria as well as a lot from Queensland. While some people do surrender their donkeys more often than not, the Sanctuary is contacted by the RSPCA, the police or the general public about a neglected animal that needs rescuing and rehabilitation.
“A lot of the time they come in with terrible health or temperament issues and that’s why I say donkeys are an extremely forgiving animal, I’ve seen some horrific cases come in and how they can forgive us humans, I just don’t know,” says Sandy.
“As soon as they come to the Sanctuary, their feet are done, their teeth are done, they’re wormed, they’re microchipped, they’re de-loused and they get all their shots from the vet. And then we spend time with them to see what their personalities and temperaments are like, then after quarantine they’ll go into a paddock where they will live out the rest of their days.”
For the serious cases of ill treatment and neglect, the Sanctuary also has an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The Sanctuary can care for up to 130 donkeys a time and is located on 120 hectares near Clarence Town in the Hunter Valley.
“At the moment we have 95 donkeys and they’re all a bit grumpy and that’s because donkey’s are a desert animal and they like hot weather. They don’t cope very well with the wet weather at all and they don’t have the necessary oils in their coat to protect them from the rain.”
Read the full story in the Spring Edition of Hunter & Coastal Lifestyle Magazine or subscribe here.
Story Sally Maguire
