Nerja Donkey Sanctuary News Archive:
08/01/10 Opening times and rain
For January we are open to visitors from 10am to 2pm then 4 to 5pm. During and shortly after periods of extremely heavy rain it may not be possible to visit the sanctuary so if you are unsure then please call in advance to check 664 558 133.
New German page thanks to Bernd Rettungsstation und der Gnadenhof für Esel
01/01/10 Happy New Year
We'd like to thank everyone for their continued support and after a wet and rainy Christmas period we are looking forward to hopefully seeing more visitors as the weather brightens. The donkeys had a peaceful start to the new year and weren't disturbed by the fireworks and celebrations. Lots of updates to come soon...
24/12/09 Gimme Shelter
Heavy rain hits Nerja
03/12/09 Follow us on Facebook, the Facebook group and on Twitter
01/12/09 Opening times and festive events
Visitor hours for December and January are 10am - 2pm and 4-5pm. This Saturday 5th of dec the Christmas market is on again at the petanque courts in Punta Lara from 11pm to 3pm supporting four local charities ourselves, CAS, Cudeca and Taller de la Amistad. Saturday 12th december donkey disco at the boatyard bar on playazo beach and our own Christmas open days on Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 27th of December, phew. On the 25th of December we will be open to visitors from 11am to 12pm. New Years day 11-2. We are currently short of helpers on Saturdays.
29/11/09 November newsletter
News on Branston's return, new donkey Feliz and more on Rubia the mare rescued from Vélez-Málaga
New youtube video of Paloma and Leo playing with a maize filled treat ball (note Branston and Feliz the new donkeys hanging out in the background)
15/11/09 Neglected horse rescued from Vélez-Málaga
This lovely lady was dumped in a patch of waste ground next to a stagnant stream. She has terrible hoof trouble an injured right rear leg and is very skinny. Nico our vet will be in to check her over as soon as possible tomorrow.
07/11/09 Meet Feliz our latest rescue
Feliz arrived with his friend Branston last night they are settling in well. We've shuffled the animals around and put them in Silver and Chocky's pens for now.
06/11/09 New donkey
Late this evening a new friend arrived at the sanctuary
04/11/09 Urgent homes needed
Have you got space for three pot-bellied pigs, four dogs and a goat?! Or any combination email us if so
02/11/09 Upcoming donkey events
Busy few months ahead as we urgently need to raise funds to keep the sanctuary running through this winter. We have been rushing about organising and collaborating with some fundraisers for the christmas period. More info soon but for now 21st of nov and 5th of dec Christmas markets at the petanque courts in Punta Lara from 11pm to 3pm supporting four local charities ourselves, CAS, Cudeca and Taller de la Amistad. Saturday 12th december donkey disco at the boatyard bar on playazo beach and our own Christmas open days on Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 27th of December, phew.01/11/09 Donkey murdered in Extremadura
We received an email earlier today from a supporter called Mercedes alerting us to the tragic case of a donkey beaten to death in Extremadura. Later when searching for more information we discovered that the Refugio del Burrito is organizing a campaign through their facebook page, search for refugio del burrito, be warned the news reports contain disturbing images. We would like express our sadness at this terrible occurence and to register our support for their campaign.31/10/09 Donkey desperately seeking sanctuary
We currently have three donkeys lined up to come in to the sanctuary with a horse and a pony on the at risk list too it's a busy time for rescues. Unfortunately we cannot get to one of the donkeys at the moment as she is over 200km away from us north of Granada and we simply don't have the petrol money to get there and back please help. Please donate and help us to rescue her. She is being cared for in situ at the moment but this can't continue for much longer.
28/10/09 October newsletter
28/09/09 September newsletter
All the latest from the donkeys featuring Farry's fun filled wedding frolics
11/09/09 Cooler weather refreshes donkeys
Finally the temperatures have dropped a little (it's still 29 degrees!) but the humidity has gone and the winds have picked up so it feels like 29 rather than 39 as it has for the last month. So the donkeys are much happier and able to move about a bit more rather than having to stand still in the shade. Next on the list is preparing for the inevitable thunderstorm and downpour of rain that follows the hot summer. Here's hoping it won't be anything like the storm 2 years ago. This video shows the normally bone dry Rio Chillar in full flood at the Verano Azul park just a few hundred metres from the donkey sanctuary. longer video here
30/08/09 August Newsletter
The August newsletter is here with a day to spare. It's been a busy summer but unfortunately visitor numbers and therefore donations are well down on last year leaving the sanctuary facing a tough winter. You can help by adopting or donating online.
25/08/09 Washing Derek
Maurice and Harriet carefully washing Derek the bad tempered donkey
20/07/09 New adoption available - Iggy
21/06/09 New adoption available - Chocky
Chocky is part of our new riding for disabled children program. We are working together with a physiotherapy centre here in Nerja to provide therapy to young children with a range of muscular and learning difficulties. We hope through this program of hippotherapy to be able to help improve significantly their development.
As this is a partnership with another local charity we will be passing on 10% of donations made in adopting Chocky to the Taller de la Amistad charity who run the centre in Nerja. We hope this will enable both charities to continue working with these children for whom early intervention can make such a huge difference in their lives. You can adopt Chocky on our unusual adoptions page
29/06/09 New opening hours for summer
For July and August our opening hours will be 10-2pm then 5-8pm. Weekends 10-2pm
28/06/09 Costa camera club's cash contribution
Thanks to the Costa Camera Club who raised 65.87 euros at their exhibition in Nerja town centre. The exhibition included an entire wall of photos taken in the donkey sanctuary at a specially arranged after hours shoot. You can see some of their work at the Costa Camera Club website
19/06/09 Read your June donkey newsletter here
17/06/09 Hot hot heat
The temperature in Nerja has rocketed up and we're typing feverishly in the heat to produce the latest newsletter which will be out very very soon, so check your emails over the next few days as a donkey newsletter will soon be winging its way (to you)
www.donkeynewsletter.com to catch up on any old newsletters you may have missed
08/05/09 Open wide
Tonight should hopefully see our vet Nico visit for some donkey dentistry work. We say hopefully as Nico is a very busy vet who can be hard to track down but when he does get in to see the animals he's worth the wait. He is also fantastically supportive of our work and understands we are struggling with money, tonight's operations will cost 50 euros each and will ensure that Bolera, Mocarra and Pablo can eat their food properly as they are struggling to chew at the moment.
Overgrown teeth are a major problem when it comes to animals being abandoned in the fields as the animals lose condition very quickly as they are unable to masticate their food correctly and miss out on nutrients. Often the owner will then leave the animal as the animal is now weakened and they cannot afford to pay for dentistry work. Donkeys and particularly mules often have this problem when they first arrive at the sanctuary after being rescued and it is one of the first checks we do.
30/04/09 Open until 4pm this holiday weekend
22/04/09 Sponsorship form available
Ever fancied doing a sponsored walk, swim, silence or something more obscure in aid of your favourite donkeys? Well now you can download and print off a sponsorship form to aid you in your quest.
21/04/09 Donkey Sanctuary visits schools
Every school in Nerja will have been taught about caring for donkeys and animal welfare by the time our schools program finishes up in a couple of weeks time. We were delighted to be asked to take our education program on the road and teach the kids all about donkeys, mules and horses. In particular we have been focusing on donkeys Petra and Mocarra, Rubì the mule and Silver the horse.
09/04/09 Newsletter out now
Here's the April newsletter.
You'll hopefully get an email telling you the same thing in a few days when our internet is back!
05/04/09 Important note about our postal address
The post office have changed their policy regarding post office boxes and as such all mail must be addressed to the person who signed up for the box, that being the President of our charity Katherine Horne.
Please ensure all mail for the Nerja Donkey Sanctuary is addressed as:
Katherine Horne (Presidente), Nerja Donkey Sanctuary, Apartado de Correos 414, Nerja, 29780, Malaga, Spain
Thank you
p.s. they're doing this to stop lots of people without addresses or addresses out in the hills from joining together and using one box. So if you were doing this you might need to look in to it!
17/03/09 Ziggy aka Platero adopted by Nerja language school
This evening saw the naming ceremony for one of our baby donkeys, at 18:30 Ziggy officially gained a Spanish name to go with his adoption by the Escuela de Idiomas in Nerja. Ziggy will now also be known as Platero after the donkey in the book Platero y yo by Juan Ramón Jiménez.
15/03/09 Our March Newsletter is a bit later than usual but it's now on donkeynewsletter.com
Sponsored walk for the donkey sanctuary - Sunday, March 15th at 10:30am from the sanctuary to the Marinas hotel and back. - Update The sponsored walk was a great success thanks to all involved especially everyone who took part and/or organised the event. Woody enjoyed the walk too.
March 3rd - Nerja rain
The rain has returned to Nerja and has sent our donkeys scurrying for cover and our latest woofers too. Hopefully it's just a slight return and the sun will be back for the weekend. On the plus side the cloud cover has kept the temperatures up so we haven't had to put too many blankets back up.
March 2nd - Escuela de Idiomas Nerja
The Nerja language school will soon be sponsoring one of our donkeys... but he will need to have a nice new Spanish name (¡claro, estamos en España!).
Don't worry he will keep his original name and as for the new name you'll have to wait until the naming ceremony on the 17th of March. Unless of course you can guess it first, email us the correct answer and you might even win a prize.
March 1st - Latest Soltalk article
If you haven't got a paper copy of Soltalk you can catch up on the latest article and read past articles on their donkey sanctuary pageFebruary 23rd - Hay delivery The cold weather means more hay is needed for our donkeys and especially our most at risk elderly donkeys like Petra and Mocarra and Rubí the mule. We've been flying through the hay stack recently so it's time for another truck load.
February 21st - Dog Racing Night at
A massive thank you to everyone involved with the dog racing night at the boatyard bar on el playazo beach. It raised a fantastic 350 Euros for the donkeys and we look forward to the next one.
February 09 - Pablo makes the front cover of Soltalk
13th January 09 - Wet and windy Nerja
Luckily the rain held off for the coach visits. Today for half an hour we had more visitors in the sanctuary than animals. Around 90 tourists from the other side of Malaga arrived on two coaches to visit our rescued donkeys who were very appreciative of the extra attention after a quiet few days.
12th January 09 - The cold weather has eased up a bit but it´s still dropping to 2 or 3 degrees at night. Petra has been wrapped up warmly the last few weeks and her pen is adorned with blankets hanging over the fences to block out the chilly winds.
1st January 09 - Donkey raffle
Many thanks to everyone who donated raffle prizes and to everyone who bought a ticket. The raffle raised a fantastic 393 Euros for the donkey sanctuary.
25th December 08 - Christmas day with the donkeys
20th December 08 - Xmas fair on now until 4pm
Don´t worry if you´ve missed this one there´s a second open day on the 27th from 12 to 4pm.
11th Dec 08 - Despite the crazy roadworks outside we are open!
Just when we thought things couldn´t get any worse someone has decided it´d be a great idea to build a roundabout directly outside the sanctuary gates. See the pics at donkeynewsletter.com in our latest newsletter.10th December 08 - Win ´Donkey´ at Kit and Kaboudle
Don´t miss out on your chance to win this lovely plush Donkey! If you´re in Nerja town centre near the Balcon then why not call in to Kit and Kaboudle and while you´re there you can enter their name ´Donkey´ competition. Each entry is just 1 Euro and as Kit and Kaboudle kindly donated the donkey all proceeds go directly to the rescued animals in our sanctuary.
4th December 08 - Adopting a donkey online
We have had a few enquiries about the online donkey adoption process so to clarify, once you´ve completed and sent the paypal donkey adoption form we receive an email from paypal. We will then email you to confirm the details of your adoption (address to post to, name on certificate, is it a present etc).
We dispatch adoptions within 24 hours, the 6th and the 8th are holidays in Spain so please allow time for delivery of the adoption certificate. Any questions email us. Renew an existing adoption here. Thanks
1st December - Latest donkey newsletter available now at donkeynewsletter.com
25th November - One month to Christmas.
Donkey adoption certificates are great presents. Stuck for what to get for someone who has everything? Adopt a donkey online today. It makes your present buying easy and helps us to keep helping abandoned and mistreated Spanish donkeys.
7th November 08 - Silver a rescued horse
Silver has been having a bit of a rough time recently and is recovering well from a kidney infection. Due to his damaged back which was caused by being ridden too young in his old age he is sadly prone to kidney problems. On a happier note, thanks to your donations, Silver´s pen now has a nice new roof to keep him sheltered from the rain.
31st October 08 - Rainy Halloween in Nerja.
We were warned yesterday about the rain and sure enough the heavens opened over Nerja today. A few brave visitors came to see the donkeys but for the most part the day was a complete washout.30th October 08 - Farrier visit
Our farrier Antonio was in today for some regular donkey hoof care. He was due tomorrow but he assures us heavy rain is due to hit Nerja and Torrox for the next three days. As you can see from the picture it´s hot and sunny in Nerja at the moment, so we shall see.
12th October 08 - Feria de la Mula, Arenas
Today saw the 13th annual mule festival in the small village of Arenas near to Velez-Malaga. While we were in attendance at the feria we can report that the animals we saw were in excellent condition and we were made very welcome. There are lots of pictures in our report here on the mule festival.
9th October 08 - Baby donkey rescue
This little chap is doing well after a rescue call out this morning. A local resident had spotted that this baby donkey was caught up in a rope from the far side of the river valley. More on our rescues page.
23rd September 08 - A very rainy day for the donkeys
12th September 08 - A spot of early lunch in the back field for two lucky donkeys
10th September 08 - Coach visits resume
After a summer break the regular coach trips from the Torremolinos area to Nerja and the donkey sanctuary are up and running again. Following a quiet summer our donkeys were very happy to see some more visitors.
2nd September 08 - New donkey newsletter available:
Read the Newsletter or go to www.donkeynewsletter.com to catch up on any older newsletters you may have missed. You can never have too much donkey related news
Why are our baby donkeys inspecting a statue? Find out at donkeynewsletter.com
The coolest place in Nerja - the mist in the picture below is our super cool air conditioning system that keeps visitors and our donkeys at least five degrees cooler than the currently sweltering August heat. Approved by our vets the misting system is loved by our rescued animals and our volunteers too.
Adoptions - You can now adopt Rubi online
13 horses rescued - Los Tejanos horseriding centre, near Frigiliana, have kindly provided accommodation for all 13! Find out more in our latest donkey newsletter.
27/05/08 Nursery school visits the donkeys - watch video
Update 08/08/08 The nursery school kids meeting the donkeys video is now the 2nd most popular (1219 views) of infonerja´s videos. Info Nerja is a popular newspaper and website viewed by locals, tourists and town councillors so if we could get the video to the top spot it could really help us. Thanks for watching the video and emailing the link on to your friends it really helps us out. We have been steadily climbing the rankings thanks to your help, I hope journalists notice how popular the video is! Of course you can see all our other videos on our youtube channel. You can read more about the school visit to the donkey sanctuary in June´s Soltalk article
12/05/08 Article in Sur newspaper (Spanish only at the moment)
Sur article on donkey sanctuary
24/04/08 WWOOF with us
We have had our first few WWOOFers over from a University course in Finland and our next visiting volunteers are all the way from Alice Springs, Australia. If you would like to help our donkeys by WWOOFing with us you can find out more at WWOOF ESPAÑA
14/04/08 Pablo our eco donkey (click image for more details)
10/04/08 More computer trouble
Just when we thought we were on top of things our computer has packed in completely. If anyone's got an old laptop lying around feel free to post it to us!!!!! We'd send a donkey courier but Pablo is busy with his eco-donkey work.
We are having to use internet cafes but we are of course still checking our emails regularly and adopting a donkey online is up and running as usual. We still aim to dispatch the adoption certificates within 24 hours and hopefully we'll be back online soon.
02/04/08 Newsletter
The latest newsletter is out and available on www.donkeynewsletter.com as a Word file or as a smaller PDF.
28/03/08 New Tshirt design
Our new tshirt design for 2008 features Connan our rare giant Andalucian donkey.
There's a new wallpaper of Connan on our wallpaper page and of course you can adopt Connan on our adopt a donkey page.
24/03/08 Apologies for lack of updates, normal service will shortly be resumed!
We have been rushed off our feet in the last few weeks with an incredible amount of rescue call outs. High winds, rain and storms caused damage in the sanctuary and we lost a large number of hay bales in the wet weather.
Thankfully the bad weather has now passed and Nerja is again bathed in warm sunshine which our donkeys and visitors out on holiday are appreciating. Mocarra and Petra are particularly pleased as they both like to sunbathe and they now have a nice new pen where they can sunbathe in peace and quiet away from those pesky baby donkeys.
01/03/08 Pablo our Eco Donkey
Pablo has been getting out and about on our environmentally friendly eco-donkey collection scheme. It's excellent exercise for our Pablo and our volunteers as they make regular collection trips down to one of Nerja's beautiful beaches.
Our ecodonkey collects leftover food and bread from the restaurants on the beach and returns them to the sanctuary where our rescued donkeys are eagerly awaiting the delivery. Anything our donkeys won't eat is recycled by our pot-bellied pigs. The final stage of this eco friendly scheme is completed when local farmers collect the manure and use it as fertiliser for their crops.
You can read more about our ecodonkeys in our Soltalk article.
29/02/08 New T-shirt design revealed here soon
23/02/08 Where is Pablo off to?
Story here and in www.soltalk.com magazine near you soon
19/02/08 New Donkey Desktop Wallpapers added
New wallpapers including Rambo taking a bath and Flash sticking his tongue out. Apologies for lack of updates. If anyone happens to work for Telefónica we need a phone line and internet!
05/02/08 New Donkey Rescued
He has been named El Capitan after the road on which he was walking around loose. Capitan was found early in the morning wandering on the road in Torre del Mar and our rescue team were soon alerted. On arrival at the donkey sanctuary he was placed immediately in isolation as with all new donkeys.
He is in his late twenties and has been poorly looked after. He was seen within an hour by our big animal vet and he is infested with skin mites so he will need to be washed for a minimum of 10 days. Here he is being checked over by one of the vets we use. In the photo Nico is checking to see if Capitan can chew properly as he has very few teeth.
01/02/08 Woody and Petra
29/01/08 Leo
Here's Leo just about to have a lovely roll on the ground (video on our youtube channel)
27/01/08 Connan and Paloma
Connan and Paloma greeting visitors at the donkey sanctuary
22/01/08 Mocarra
Mocarra with a feeding trough all to herself and her winter coat to keep her warm.
05/01/08 Article in Sur newspaper (Spanish)
04/01/08 Spring Cleaning already?
Our volunteers have started their spring cleaning early and have today filled a large skip with debris and broken fences (we're looking at you Bolera!) We hope the clear out will enable us to open up even more areas to visitors and animals alike.
01/01/08 Happy New Year
Happy New Year from all of us here at the Nerja Donkey Sanctuary. All the best for the new year and we look forward to seeing and hearing from you all.
2007 donkey news archive