Donkeys rescued from storm now 'happy and settled'

The condition of six donkeys found in a "desperate state" after Storm Chandra swept across the UK has vastly improved, animal carers have said.

Mimi, Martha, Mabel, Aida, Pippin and Lily-Mae had "their lives turned upside down" when strong winds and heavy rainfall hit in January, said The Donkey Sanctuary.

Rescuers said they were thin and had barely any dry ground to stand on when they were found at a site in Somerset.

They said the donkeys were now "happy and settled" after being cared for at the sanctuary's new arrivals unit in Sidmouth, Devon.

Supervisor Rachel Hill said: "I remember how shell-shocked Mimi appeared to be when she first stepped off the transporter.

"She was just overwhelmed by the experience and unsure of her surroundings.

"It makes sense - she had been taken out of the wet and transported to Devon where a warm barn with dry straw was waiting for her."

Hill said their environment was "severely flooded" when teams arrived at the site.

Storm Chandra, which followed a series of other storms, brought heavy rainfall to already saturated ground.

Hill said: "There'd also been a tree brought down on one of their shelters, so they were in quite a desperate state out in the rain with obviously rising floodwater and no kind of access to shelter, or very limited access to shelter.

"They were assessed by myself and one of my colleagues and the owner decided to relinquish them to the Donkey Sanctuary's care, so they were brought into our new arrivals unit in Sidmouth."

Hill said staff at the sanctuary had fed them a "very carefully controlled diet" and dedicated handling teams helped "build up their confidence".

"They are all doing really, really well," he said.

"They're all really happy and settled and the transformation in their demeanour and personalities that have developed over the last six months has been really, really nice to see."

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