Ireland, Donkey love

Source: Speak Up

Level Language: Advanced

Standard: British Accent

Ireland Donkey Love

One man has saved thousands of donkeys from cruelty and neglect. His name is Paddy Barret and he’s the manager of The Donkey Sanctuary in Liscarroll, in County Cork, Ireland (pictured, opposite page).

Paddy might have inherited his love of animals from his father, who was an inspector for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA). Paddy took over, following his father’s sudden death in 1981, continuing the tradition of using the family farm in Liscarroll to take care of neglected animals, especially donkeys. Then in 1987, his centre became part of a UK charity called the Donkey Sanctuary, which also has a sanctuary in Devon in England. Since then, Paddy has never turned a donkey away.

Paddy and a staff of over 40 have rescued and cared for more than 2.400 donkeys from all over Ireland in the last nine years. They have fostered out hundreds of donkeys to good homes and often visit schools and other organizations to give talks about the gentle animals. Today the sanctuary has more than 400 donkeys at two farms in Liscarroll. One of these is open to the public and receives about 20.000 visitors a year.

We asked Paddy Barrett to describe the sanctuary:

Paddy Barrett

(Irish accent)

The centre itself is in a rural part of Ireland. We’re a little village of 500 people with a Normandy castle. The farm itself is of 30 acres, here, the old place where the visitors centre is. There’s a walkway of approximately 800 metres and along the walkway one will meet donkeys at both sides and you can pat them and rub them and groom them and handle them. And, incidentally, they like polo mints and ginger nuts, so if you bring a supply, they love them. So, do we!

ALL YOU NEED IS…

We also asked him what he liked about his job.

Paddy Barrett:

I get great satisfaction, you know. I love the job. As George Best once said, who was a great footballer, it’s great to be getting paid for something you love doing. I love doing it and I get great reward. I mean, it’s rewarding. When the animals come in you see them in such a bad state and then to nurse them back to good health. And a lot of those are out in good homes. Today you witnessed, at the hospital there was a castration taking place, where a donkey is neutered. And that animal would have come in pretty boisterous now and a bad temperament and we couldn’t allow him out with the rest of the group because he would be fighting and kicking and biting everything, you know around him. And, once he’s gelded, he becomes a very placid, docile animal and suitable to go out a home. And they make great pets. All they need is hay and water and a shed and grass and all they need is a bit of loving tender care and a bit of grooming.

Curiosities (no audio)

Donkeys Facts

       Donkeys are also known as asses. Females are called Jennies, males are called jacks and babies are foals.

       Donkeys can see their four hooves at the same time.

      

       Donkeys have strong hooves so they don’t need shoes like horses do unless they have problems with their feet.

       In the wild, donkeys live far away from each other. This might be why they have really loud voices and big ears, which allow them to communicate with each other over a distance of up to three kilometers.

       Donkeys are very intelligent, associable animals and often have strong relationships with their owners and with other donkeys.

       Donkey live longer than most other animals: up to 25 years is the wild and more than 50 years in captivity.

INFO

You can visit the Donkey Sanctuary, which is in Liscarroll, about 20 kilometres from Mallow in north County Cork, Ireland. The Sanctuary is open from 9 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday and 10 am to 5 pm on weekends and bank holidays. Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit http://www.thedonkeysanctuary.ie