Donkeys to Sponsor
Flôr (Flower)
Flôr arrived at the Shelter in March 2007. She was rescued off the grasps of a cattle merchant. One of her hooves was so over grown that she was no longer able to walk. She also presented an inffection in one of her legs; she was barely fed, having to survive in the few left weeds inside an overcrowded paddock with other animals, and on top of it all she used to be brutally hit. These days, after lengthy and intensives veterinary care, this jenny lives in peace at the Shelter, alongside her friends, although her mobility is very limited as a result from her past injuries. Flôr's age is estimated to be over 20. She has a strong personality.
Gaiato (Kid)
Gaiato arrived at the Shelter in August 2007, bought off a farmer. He used to be a work donkey, used in several agricultural chores, like pulling the cart, ploughing, carrying heavy burdens on his back. This life of forced labors caused him evident conformation problems, like a sagging back. Currently he lives happily at the Shelter along with the remaining donkeys, with whom he tries to assert himself as leader. Gaiato is about 20 years old. He is a strong character, although he is also very tender, despite the way how he used to be handled.
Duende (Elf)
Duende arrived at Shelter in March 2007. He came from his homeland, the Portuguese north-east region. He was one of the eigthy births of this native breed of donkeys in 2006. Although he was always one of the younger animals of the Shelter, he has always been the most alert and intelligent that oustanding amongst the group and also tries to assert his leadership. Duende is not a rescue animal; he is at the Shelter as a representative specimen of his native breed of donkeys.
"Tricas"
Also originated from a rural environment, Tricana arrived at the Shelter in July 2008, in the same day as Carocho. Despite being in foal, she was destined to the slaughter house, because she had dislocated a shoulder, hence no longer fit to perform the usual hard chores. In order to save her life, Burricadas had to pay for her a higher sum of money than the one offered by the meat merchant. Tricas is 21 years old and she already bred over 10 offspring. Her latest baby, Urze, was born in March 2009. Due to her serious mobility difficulty, her days as a broodjenny are over.
Urze (Heather)
Urze is the daughter of Tricana and she was born on 14th March 2009, the first ever birth to take place in the Shelter. Her birth was a true cause for celebration, as without Burricadas' action she would have been doomed to die in her mother's womb. Just as all babies, she is very curious; she loves to gallop and to leap, entertaining humans and donkeys alike with her antics.
Carocho
Carocho is a large sized donkey and the oldest resident of the Shelter, but also one of the most adorable. Born in the 1974, he was offered to the Association by His elderly owners, who were sorry to have to hand him to a meat merchant. Since he arrived at the Shelter, socialisation with the other peers and the personal care he gets, have been contributing factors for His newly found youth.
Rosa (Rose)
Rosa arrived at the Shelter in February 2008, coming from a family were she was much treasured. However, her owner's age brought her to us, so that she could enjoy a relaxing retirement. Rosa's sweet and quiet temperament have granted everybody's sympathies.
GaiatoII (Kid II)
He is one of the Shelter's most recent newcomers, bought by Burricadas off a cattle merchant. His advanced age and his difficulty to stand up in the morning made his owners getting rid of him. By moving to the Shelter, he was saved from an uncertain future. This animal has shown all clear signs of emotional trauma, due to violent handling in the past. Nevertheless, he is a very humble and gentle animal, regaining his trust in humans.
Pardal (Sparrow)
Pardal came together with Gaiato II, from the same cattle trader. A serious deformation of his front hooves, probably the result of years of defficient trimmings, made him unsuitable for work. He was rescued from ending up as feed for carnivores. Albeit his movement restrictions, he is a lively donkey.
Boneca (Doll)
Boneca arrived at the Shelter on the New Years Day 2009. At her arrival she presented serious skin lesions, na uncontrolable itchiness and rather under weight, and therefore her destiny was the meat lorry. Since then she has under gone veterinary treatment and her recovery has been truly wonderful. Of all the adult resident donkeys, Boneca is by far the smallest. Irrespective of her size, she is full of vitality and quite able to defend her rights amongst the group. Also, despite her old age, she is still very inquisitive and she loves to follow and to watch her fellow humans.
Carriça (Wren)
Carriça arrived at Shelter in the end of May 2009. She was a working jenny already known to us for some time. It was a surprise to have found her at a dealer's yard, ready for slaughter. She presented difficulties in walking, at the level of her hands, which deterred her from working, as well as scars and wounds all over her body, although not too deep nor serious. At this moment she already recovered her movements and her wounds are healed, but her emotional scars will still take time. Nevertheless, she is slightly better as far as allowing handling. She recovered fully from her lameness. Unfortunately, over the summer period, she was diagnosed as suffering from COPD, an irreversible respiratory condition, in need of a dust free environment and special feeding care.
Joana
Joana arrived by us in August, part of a group of 4 animals that were in a cattle merchant's yard. She was destined to slaughter due to their physical condition; despite not being old (she is around 15 years old), she suffered from severe summer sores in her legs, of parasite origin, and a wide spread infection in her body. At this moment, the infection is fully controlled, but the wounds in her back legs are still not fully healed.
Gingko
Gingko arrived at the Shelter in August, also part of the group of 4 animals that were in a cattle merchant's yard. Due to old age, she was going for slaughter. She was well underweight, partly due to serious dental problems that prevented her from grinding food. After adequate treatment and a careful diet, she is in full recovery process, and she already put on weight.
Velhotinho (Old Man)
Arrived at the Donkey Shelter in August, Velhotinho ('Old Man') was one of the donkeys that required more care this year. This old donkey, which was going to the abattoir, was referred to us by the cattle dealer as a lost case, also part of the above mentioned group of 4 donkeys, but in our opinion still worth trying. On top of his advanced age and frailness, this donkey presented such overgrown hooves that he could hardly walk, already displaying bone deformities in the front legs. Alongside this scenario, he could not stand up on his own or to stay up for long periods of time and, as a result of several falls, caused by his frailness and difficult locomotion, his body was covered by wounds. Later on, we were horrified to hear that despite his dreadful condition, at times, he was still used to pull a cart. Presently, after daily care and hood trimmings, Old Man seemed to have struck the cord to enjoy quality of life until the end of his days.
Carriça II (Wren II)
Carriça II comes from a local rural background and the last 8 years of her life were spent as the mascot of a folk dances group, before she came to the Shelter, in April 2010. She was fortunate that the Direction of the folk dances group decided to give her a well deserved retirement under the care of Burricadas, rather than selling her. Curiously enough, as she entered the lorry to come to the Shelter, she brayed loudly, as if saying farewell to her former caretakers. She is still adjusting herself to life amidst a herd of her own kind, and so far, she has proved to be a very friendly jenny, to both people and other animals.
