Adopt a donkey: Charlie

Charlie is a gelding (male) donkey who is around 18 years old and stands at 10.3 hands. He was rescued in 1995 with three Charlie

other donkeys from a village near Blackwood in the Rhondda Valley. He was in a very poor condition, being very thin and with a badly matted coat. Today, however, he is a very fit and healthy donkey and is especially popular with the disabled children who visit the Sanctuary for donkey rides.

Charlie has had a brief taste of TV stardom. In 1997, he was involved with three of his friends in filming the BBC1 children’s series The Phoenix and the Carpet. The episode was set in an Indian market in 1903 – despite the lights, cameras and wind machines, Charlie and friends behaved impeccably.

Charlie shares a stable with his close friend Jack, with whom he was rescued. They have a very happy and peaceful life at the Sanctuary and have forgotten the neglect they suffered together in the past. Charlie also visits a number of country shows and steam rallies as part of our ‘donkey working team’ where we show how donkeys were used as working animals on farms and smallholdings before the introduction of tractors. Although it might seem like hard work, Charlie loves to pull a small plough!

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Want to know more about adopting a donkey? Click here.