Teamwork saves Ed the donkey on North Street

GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - Animal welfare work in Aberdeen is not confined to cats and dogs, and a recent incident saw members of the community pull together to save the life of an orphaned donkey foal.

Maureen MacAndrew of CARE received a call that a female donkey was in distress in North Street. She investigated and found that the donkey could barely walk. With the donkey was a four-month-old foal, which was still feeding from his mother.

Together with the donkey's owner and some helpers, MacAndrew managed to get the donkey to the nearby home of David Millar, who has old stables in his yard.

A local vet confirmed MacAndrew's suspicions that the ailing donkey had lockjaw, a fatal condition for equines.

MacAndrew contacted the Eseltjiesrus Donkey Sanctuary in McGregor for advice on how best to support the foal.

Although the mother donkey was unable to eat or drink, she was still able to lactate for her foal for four days before she died.

Miané van der Merwe with her new friend Ed.

Millar started to hand-feed the foal to supplement the mother's dwindling milk supply. Millar continued with this regime until the foal was able to drink water and eat lucern. The foal reacted strongly whenever he saw or even heard Millar.

Unfortunately, the foal's signs of affection were usually accompanied by a loud braying, which is not welcomed in a residential area. Once the foal was well enough, he was rehomed with the Van der Merwe family on Badsfontein Farm. Young Miané (6) has named him Ed and is ensuring that he gets plenty of love and carrots.

Miané van der Merwe with her new friend Ed.