A Love Affair with Donkeys

[Guest guest]

Donkeys appear cuter than horses, especially the tiny ones.

 

http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/real-india/ass-you-like-it

13 June 2009

Ass You Like It BY Haima Deshpande EMAIL AUTHOR(S)

 

 

There is a lack of veterinarians experienced in donkey care

 

In 1966, when the late Bonny Karstadt, daughter of a Jewish World War II

bombardier, went on a blind date in the US with Ratilal Shah, an electrical

engineer from Gujarat, you couldn’t imagine how it would help ailing donkeys

in Maharashtra.

 

The blind date led to a marriage two years later and then the setting up of

Maharani, a brand of ethnic handmade gift items. Once the business became

successful, Bonny and her husband turned to philanthropy and her other great

interest, caring for donkeys. She had been inspired by the Donkey Sanctuary

Movement, a worldwide initiative to champion donkey rights and care for

abused animals.

 

Since the couple were associated with Sanskriti Samvardhan Mandal, an NGO

that runs residential schools in Sagroli, a dusty village in Maharashtra’s

Nanded district, they decided to establish their dream project there on 16

acres acquired from the NGO. Located at the foothills of the lush forested

Bala Ghat Range, Dharma Donkey Sanctuary (DDS) is now home to seven donkeys.

“We picked them up from all over the place. They were badly bruised and

injured. They will live at the sanctuary as their injuries have rendered

them incapable of work,” says Abhijit Mahajan, facility manager.

 

Besides these seven, other donkeys have also graced the sanctuary’s grounds.

“Many animals are taken away by their owners following recovery, hence the

numbers vary.” In the sanctuary there is plenty of grass to munch on, three

bore wells offer ample drinking water and caretakers look after the animals.

 

Ever since DDS was inaugurated in January 2002, its awareness campaigns have

helped improve the social standing of donkeys vis-à-vis other domestic

animals. A couple of years ago a donkey did not even fetch even Rs 800 as

sale price, today, a healthy one costs Rs 10,000 upwards in Nanded. Farmers

are taking care of their donkeys ever since the awareness campaigns began.

 

In the three years since it was started, de-worming camps at DDS have seen

an increase in numbers—about 2,000 donkeys were checked in December 2008.

Some of the villagers who once abused their donkeys have become

self-appointed volunteers who keep a look out for abused or ailing donkeys

and inform DDS.

 

The nine-member trust is keen on upgrading facilities. A Rs 27-lakh proposal

has been sent to the Central government for construction of donkey shelters

and a well-equipped hospital. But funds are a problem since no one

understands the rationale behind a sanctuary for donkeys. There is also lack

of veterinarians experienced in donkey care. DDS operates through two

in-house veterinarians who do not have the means to keep themselves updated.

“There are no doctors in the state who specialise in donkey diseases,” says

Mahajan.