Ten donkeys have been saved from slaughter and are now en-route to their 'forever home' on the Isle of Wight.
After weeks of "delays, worries, frustration and even a few tears", the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary says it's preparing for the imminent arrival of the so-called 'French 10’.
Jiva, Javette, Jenny, Jumpy, Josephine, Hope and Charity - accompanied with the foals Kitchi and Koko, and the ‘old lady’ of the group Junon - left La Belle, France on Thursday (18).
The ten donkeys were saved from a slaughterhouse and the Italian meat market.
Business Manager, Carol Foote, said:
"Little did we know the obstacles we would have to deal with whilst we went from getting the donkeys passported and vet checked to finally getting their transport ready!
"We had a nice steady plan in place, a lovely stress-free journey for them on Brittany Ferries via Caen to Portsmouth and a quick pop over the Solent via Wightlink.
"Oh how things can change! We were hit by COVID-19, two sets of lockdowns in England and France, closure of French borders, lorry backlogs across the channel, new Brexit regulations, additional Brexit blood tests and quarantine required-and then heavy snow in Brittany!"
The sanctuary, in Wroxall, was initially contacted in early November 2020 by Tracy Bradford at Pour L’Amour des Anes 29 in Brittany.
A payment was promised by the sanctuary to a slaughterhouse, guaranteeing the donkeys a home together on the Island.
Tracey had earlier managed to get the donkeys back to her small sanctuary to begin their rehabilitation while the sanctuary started work which would allow them to come to Britain.
Along the way, it was agreed that the the Isle of Wight team would take two more ‘slaughterhouse animals’ - now named Hope and Charity - from a sanctuary in Normandy.
Charity Manager Derek Needham said:
"This is a hugely positive story. Our supporters got behind this rescue with their interest and generosity and their tremendous belief in the work of the 2 rescue sanctuaries in France who began this process.
"During lockdown this story provided inspiration to people who were determined that, in spite of all the hurdles put in place, these donkeys would be saved.
"It has brought out the best of human emotion, to care for and save these animals.
"At a time when humans themselves had enough to cope with, it showed tremendous compassion to think of the lives of these donkeys. We can only offer a humble thank you to everybody involved, on both sides of the channel.’
The 'French 10' are due on the Island today (Saturday).
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