- Open Thursday – Sunday, 10am – 4pm
- McGregor, Western Cape
About us
First and foremost we provide a permanent home and loving care to destitute, rescued donkeys. We also place donkeys in approved foster homes, guide the rehabilitation of donkeys elsewhere and provide education and training.
At the Sanctuary in McGregor
First and foremost we provide a permanent home and loving care to destitute, rescued donkeys. Since the founding of Eseltjiesrus we have cared for more than thirty donkeys at the Sanctuary and placed further numbers in approved foster homes.
Each donkey is cared for and checked at least twice a day. Eyes and hooves are cleaned, fly repellant applied, and any little wounds or infections are treated.
They are fed three different types of hay twice a day and the elderly or thin donkeys get bowls of soft food in a separate enclosure twice a day.
The site is intensively managed, irrigated, manure removed and fences checked.
Fostering
We place young, healthy donkeys in pairs or in small family groups in approved foster homes. The Sanctuary retains ownership but you have the delight of caring for these donkeys.
To find out more please contact info@donkeysanctuary.co.za.
Support & rehabilitation for donkeys elsewhere
A part of the work of the Sanctuary that is growing steadily is to deal with queries from across the country regarding good donkey care. Most problems arise from ignorance or the misbelief that donkeys do not need regular handling or appropriate care. We encourage donkey owners to provide best quality care, and recently we have been privileged to respond to queries from donkey lovers as far away as Tsumeb in Namibia, Gauteng, Bela-Bela, Barrydale, Paarl, St Helena Bay, Worcester and Riversdale. Part of our mission is to promote the welfare of all donkeys, and we enjoy researching solutions to questions – we continue to learn in the process!
We enjoy helping people, researching answers and raising the status of donkeys in the eyes of the public. Each individual donkey that is helped is one less in pain, discomfort or suffering mental anguish. In the process we try to teach the new owners/carers so that they, too, can propagate good donkey management.
We also guide the rehabilitation of donkeys in need elsewhere in the Western Cape by sending staff to work with the donkeys and owners. We educate the owners so that they can assume responsibility for appropriate care of their donkeys, and help them to accustom their donkeys to correct, safe handling. Where necessary we facilitate veterinary intervention.
Education & training
We arrange workshops with professional presenters, for donkey owners and donkey lovers, for Veterinarians, Inspectors and Animal Health Technicians, etc., from e.g. the SPCA, Cart Horse Protection Association, Department of Agriculture and other organizations.
These workshops are usually sponsored and thus free of charge.
As in many professions, the governing body of the Veterinary profession in South Africa, the SA Veterinary Council (SAVC), requires its registered members to accumulate a certain number of Continued Professional Development (CPD) points every year. The SAVC strictly controls and vets the activities that are accredited to provide CPD points.
We are delighted to announce that our workshops are regularly given accreditation by the SAVC for CPD points. Eseltjiesrus is the only organisation presenting donkey-related activities that are in this way recognised and accredited by the professional body. This must enhance the status of donkeys and the Sanctuary in the eyes of the veterinary profession, and certainly promotes the welfare of donkeys.
We present workshops on donkey welfare in different parts of South Africa. If you are interested in attending these workshops, or arranging one in your area, please do contact us at info@donkeysanctuary.co.za.
Many schools and groups have visited the Sanctuary since we opened in 2007. Each visit is designed with the learners in mind so that they can learn about our work and our focus on developing a culture of caring for both animals and humans. We welcome school visits by arrangement. Please contact us at visitors@donkeysanctuary.co.za.
Education project
Our education project has produced a substantial teacher’s and parent’s resource pack using donkeys as the theme. This pack is currently available in English and Afrikaans and gives information and worksheets (with answers) for Grades 1 to 6 focusing on language and mathematics.
The resource pack, Donkey Nibbles, is intended for the primary school classroom. It includes information, pictures, stories, poems and worksheets, all on the theme of donkeys. This second edition has been aligned to the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). All the materials and answer sheets are downloadable from this website.
