Rare donkey is new Redwings adoption star
An orphaned donkey has been confirmed as the latest adoption member of Redwings Horse Sanctuary.
Arya — who is a part-bred Poitou — arrived at the charity’s base in Warwickshire last August when she was one-month-old.
She is named after Arya Stark — who is a character in George R. R. Martin’s fantasy novels Game of Thrones.
The foal came to the Oxhill centre with her mother Millie and their companions, mother and son Adel and Merlin last year. Their owner, a long-standing Redwings volunteer, was no longer able to provide the specialised care they needed.
Millie suffered from ongoing lameness issues — a condition that the Poitou breed is particularly susceptible to. She was the first of the breed to be taken in by Redwings.
In January the decision was taken to put Millie down to avoid further suffering.
“As donkeys form very close bonds, the Redwings veterinary team kept a close eye on the Poitou trio, but like a true survivor little Arya coped fantastically well and lived to fight another day,” said a spokesman for the charity.
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“Delighting visitors with her lively character and irresistible fluffiness, the charity could not resist making little Arya an adoption star.
“On Friday (3 April), she will be making her debut as a fully-fledged adoption star.”
Arya, Merlin and Adel will now all be permanent residents at the charity’s Oxhill centre.
The Poitou faced extinction in the 1970s with only 77 left in the world but numbers are now up to 400 following a campaign to save them.
Earlier this year Redwings merged with Scottish horse rescue charity Mountains Animal Sanctuary. The charity now more than 1500 rescued horses and donkeys at 10 centres across the UK.
For more information visit: www.redwings.org.uk
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Sophia Heath joined Horse & Hound in July 2013 having previously worked for the Daily Telegraph's Olympics website, CNN International and Omnisport. A Durham graduate with a Masters in journalism from City University, Sophia has evented, showjumped and hunted. Sophia left Horse & Hound in early 2015 to join an international boating website.