It is always special seeing the different animals coming to our lake in the morning. The horses are often the first to gallop up and join the ducks and geese on the lake, and then comes the long procession of our eleven rescued donkeys, including the new foal.

Rescued from terrible suffering, the horses and donkeys possibly have the best life at the Sanctuary, freely wandering wherever they want, and being fed each evening (although the donkeys do like to steal the food put out for the geese in the morning!).

Most of the lions and tigers at the Sanctuary are rescued during operations to end the use of animals in circuses or keeping illegal pets.

The domestic species including the horses, donkeys, cows, goats, sheep and geese, are generally confiscated in cases of cruelty, neglect and abandonment in Free State.

ADIWS therefore provides a beacon of hope for animals in need of a lifeline and helps with enforcement of South Africa’s animal protection laws.

The ADIWS is part of the True Sanctuary alliance, and therefore does not allow breeding, but three donkeys have arrived pregnant (a donkey pregnancy can last 14 months) and given birth to three foals. The most recent (easily spotted in the line of donkeys here) we can confirm is a little girl (a ‘Jenny’)