The first supper

This is little 'Doris the Donkey' enjoying her first solid meal as a baby donkey - Hashish! Not the hashish we are accustomed to or not accustomed to, as the case may be! But the nutritious food grown here for the animals, also known as 'Berceem'

Doris came to ACE a week ago. Her owner left her outside our gate and said that her mother had died (From what we do not know) and that he could not afford to feed her. So we have taken her in for 6 months, to care for her, give her a good start in life and then she can go back to her owner.

She was really sad yesterday morning, as she is less than a metre high and cannot see over the stable door. She was feeling lonely and of course missing her mum.
Orilly, a trainee vet from Belgium took her out to sit in the sun with her and so I offered to take her for a walk.
People passed by on their donkey and carts, children squealing and saying 'Homar Helwa' Beautiful donkey, all wanted to buy her and take her home. She became very alert and excited to see the world, saying hello to fellow donkeys and even skipped when I took her to a field where the sugar cane had been cut. Her little hooves made a crunching sound as she wandered over the sun dried, crispy leaves, which he seemed to like as he started braying and blowing through her nose.

She is of course totally spoilt as she is such a special lady and is now the main attraction for visitors to ACE! But for me, this was a gentle reminder that even animals need love. This is one of the main focal points of the hospital, to try and educate local people about their animals. How they can feel pain, how to care for them and how to recognise when something is wrong and what to do.