Rehomed donkeys join loving Limerick family

A LIMERICK man who adopted two donkeys during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic says it is “one of the best things” he has ever done.

While some took in cats or dogs, David Hannan from Adare, decided to rehome two donkeys.

“It was something different,” he laughs. “We had been to the donkey sanctuary (near Mallow in North Cork) a good few times.

As a visitor, you can check out the donkeys and see what they do and we fell in love with them,” he said.

In October 2020, David rehomed Eamon and Mick – who he named after the Irish revolutionaries. Now aged 10, the four-legged companions have become “part of the family.”

According to David, donkeys are often misunderstood. “I think people have this perception that donkeys are dumb animals.

But they’re actually really intelligent,” he told the Limerick Leader.

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“Unfortunately, they have no commercial value, they’re not worked in Ireland anymore. They're now purely pets, and they're mistreated by people. The Donkey Sanctuary can only rehome so many of them,” he explains.

Last month, The Donkey Sanctuary in North Cork ran out of space as it currently cares for 1,700 donkeys, with a staff of 90.

According to David, rehoming donkeys is the best thing he has ever done and he is encouraging others to consider it.

“When I come home from the office, they'll run up to the wall and start braying. They’re such good company,” he said that the company they provide surprised him.

“I thought that you wouldn’t really be able to engage or form a relationship with them.” Eamon and Mick are particularly close to Faye, his two-year-old daughter.

“They’re her friends. When she comes home, she brings them apples, carrots and ginger nut biscuits which they love. As she grows up, they'll be great pals. God forbid if anything was to happen to them. But they live for 25 years, so they're going to be around for a while,” he noted.

Comparing the four-legged pair to young boys running around the field, he stated: “Donkeys are bonded animals. If you had a donkey on its own, unfortunately it would get sick, or it would die younger than if it had a companion. These two came together, they'd be lost without each other.”

Speaking of his experience with the Donkey Sanctuary in Cork, he added:

“We have a donkey welfare officer. She often calls to check in. It’s not like you'll rehome donkeys, and then you're on your own, they'll support you through any issues you might have.”