In March and September 2018, we managed the extraordinary rescue of 64 refugee donkeys from the sideshows of war on the Turkish-Syrian border in eastern Turkey.
We learnt of dramatic conditions in a community-owned reception camp in eastern Turkey – donkeys had been housed there in appalling conditions. The assumption is that these were donkeys people had used to escape across the mountainous border, but then had to leave behind because the animals would be a burden on their further escape route. Perhaps these people also hoped the donkeys could take care of themselves now that they were free. But the foraging donkeys apparently became a nuisance and the local municipality decided to round then up and confine them without thinking of the financial consequences – after all, the people living in this rural area are truly not blessed with material goods.
Together with our representative Nilgün Varos, we decided not to abandon these miserable creatures. We are grateful we were able to rescue these 64 “escape donkeys” so superbly thanks to the enormous and highly professional efforts of Nilgün. Today, the rescued donkeys live in our Yasam Vadisi (Valley of Life).
Dear readers, you will surely be shocked by the appalling condition of these donkeys when we found them. If you want to know more about this in German, please read the two issues of our “Der Tropfen” from July and December 2018.