Donkey Talk

Thursday, 15 April 2010
For the past week there have been three donkeys hanging around in Market Street (where I live). At first I wasn’t too worried as we often see cows or donkeys in our street. But after a few days I started to get worried because the donkeys were in a bad condition and were eating all the rubbish that people had either left out or that had been strewn about by the municipal workers. This afternoon, on my way home, I saw one of these donkeys lying on the pavement in Donkin Street. Donkey’s to me are irresistible. I don’t know if it is because I have always had a soft spot for horses and I sort of see donkeys as an extension of horses, or because of that particular look they always seem to have on their faces. So I approached this donkey and he looked absolutely petrified of me. I made slow movements and eventually managed to sit down next to him, near his head. I gave up on trying to touch him because he just looked to scared. But I spent about 20 minutes talking to him. He looked dreadful, he was thin, his coat was all matted and holey and he had big sores on his back. My heart was breaking and I sat and talked to him about his life and about food and told him how incredibly beautiful he is and how awesome his super long ears are. I think everyone who drove or walked past thought I was an absolute nut case, and I’m not sure if the donkey understood what I was saying. He was definitely listening and moving his ears, and he moved his head closer to me, but still seemed scared. I get so upset at the neglect and cruel treatment of the donkey’s in Grahamstown. I was going to phone the donkey shelter (I needed to come back to campus though to find their number online) and by the time I got back to our neighbourhood the donkey’s were nowhere to be seen. I don’t know what has happened to them, but I hope that they have someone looking after them and feeding them, especially with the cold weather approaching.