Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary

As a nation of animal lovers, a visit to the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary is surely on everyone’s wish list this year! It’s a wonderful place with a simple purpose; to provide a safe, happy, and permanent home for donkeys that have been previously neglected or abandoned. 97 donkeys and 26 ponies currently share 55 acres of lovely countryside and are well looked after by the staff as well as a large group of volunteers.

Plan a visit to the Donkey Sanctuary

The sanctuary is year-round attraction and is open from 10am until 4.30pm every day (weather permitting) except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. You are welcome to bring your dog with you as long as they are well-behaved (and the same goes for children!). Admission is free of charge, but because the sanctuary is a charity it survives on goodwill and donations, which gives you the perfect excuse to spend some money in on-site café and gift shop.

Soon they will be offering new ways to interact with the donkeys, including birthday parties, ‘caring for a donkey’ days and ‘leading a donkey’ days. Keep an eye on their website and social media for updates to make sure you don’t miss out.

Supporting the Sanctuary if you can’t visit in person

If you’re not able to travel to the Isle of Wight, there are still ways you can support the Donkey Sanctuary. The best way is to ‘adopt’ a donkey by browsing the photo gallery on their website and choosing which one you’d like to support (warning – you may experience cuteness overload reading their profiles!). By paying a yearly fee you’ll get an adoption pack and regular newsletters.

Another way to support the donkeys is by visiting their online shop, which is full of fun donkey-themed merchandise like t-shirts, toys, homeware, and even a fabulous selection of sweet treats. Finally, you can simply make a secure donation through the website.

Donkey Therapy

At the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary, they have a lovely saying: ‘It is not just what we do for our donkeys, but what our donkeys do for people.’ Donkeys are very sociable creatures and enjoy spending time with humans, so they are the perfect choice to use for animal therapy. The donkeys visit hospices, residential homes, and day centres where they can interact with people suffering from Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and motor neurone disease. As well as bringing comfort and happiness to the people, the donkeys enjoy it too so it’s a win!

Fun Facts about Donkeys

Did you know that donkeys are very intelligent and have excellent memories? They live for up to 50 years and can recognize other donkeys from decades ago. Perhaps the phrase should be ‘a donkey never forgets’ rather than an elephant! Pound for pound they are stronger than horses and were used by the early Egyptians to transport precious metals across Africa.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We have also put together a list of frequently asked questions at the link below, which include some Top Tips and Did you know information, which you can use to show off with your friends and family

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