What Really Happens to Donkeys

The next time you look at a donkey, please spare a moment to see things through their eyes. Regardless of their small and frail bodies, donkeys are looked down upon, especially in the Eastern community, where they are sold cheaply and then used as working animals to perform hard and vigorous labour; a lot more than their delicate bodies can handle. Their handlers force them to work beyond their bodies capacities and, as often is the case, they fall with broken spirits and no mercy is shown. Rather, they are kicked in their stomachs and forced to get up, without food or water. It doesn’t end there; after all their hard labour, they are “awarded” by being severely abused, ridiculed, mocked and beaten. Donkeys are also tied to posts without any water or food under the blazing heat and left to die. Indeed, in modern day society, when someone is not following instructions or a little slow to pick up things, they are referred to as “donkeys”. The gentle donkey’s name has been made into a insult to ridicule it, but the reality is that they are peaceful, loyal,loving, intelligent and shy herbivores.

In Greece and Spain,  donkeys are used as taxis, in a term used as “Donkey Taxis”. The majority of their operators are more interested in making a good day’s profit rather than taking proper care of the donkeys which are regularly exposed to very high temperatures without any food, water or even shelter after a hard day, and night’s, work. And come nightfall, their operators proceed to tie their feet very tightly together so that they don’t walk off, causing the animal great distress.

In China, where there is no law against animal abuse or cruelty, donkeys are severely beaten and abused openly in animal markets.  No body objects to this and trucks can be observed piled up with countless white goats as they start to arrive in the market. Simultaneously, frightened and exhausted donkeys are dragged by their delicate body parts out from the sheds. Indeed, some have little or no strength to stand on their feet and so the traders begin to kick them hard in their stomachs, beating their backs with metallic poles until it becomes unbearable and they are forced to stand again. This beating continues with the traders grabbing the donkeys tiny tails, painfully twisting them into knots and forcing them to climb up metal ramps into cages, to await slaughter.

Some restaurants in China serve fresh donkey meat where parts of the donkey are sliced off while it’s still alive. The diners are able to hear the donkey’s cries of agony in the background.

It’s a very very painful subject and it has moved me to tears as I write this article. It’s just a very small, perhaps insignificant, insight into what’s going on behind our backs and it gives me great pleasure to expose it to the world, because it’s something we should all know about that what’s actually going on.  Everybody has their own dignity and donkeys are no exception.  We can learn alot from them; after all we are mammals like them.

One has to ask the question that why is it that the gentlest of the gentlest creatures that do not come in Man’s way are always the victims. It is enough to make one turn to ourCreator to provide a solution to put an end to all this unnecessary cruelty. I, for one, have formed a lasting life-long respect for this noblest and loyalest of animals and will do all that is in my capacity to help them, now and in the future.  So the next time you see a donkey, please look into its gentle eyes, for they ask for nothing more than a loving friendship and lasting bond of love with you. Let’s all embrace this feeling and offer them our undivided protection from those cruel people who harm them; they need it as they cannot protect themselves.  Pehaps even adopt a donkey at a sanctuary. It’s the least we can do for our friends the beloved and noble donkeys.