Armed forces veterans provide enrichment for rescued donkeys
The whirligig is important to satisfy the donkeys' behavioural needs.
A group of veterans from the Armed Forces Community Support Hub in Devon have been supporting enrichment activities for donkeys at Sidmouth’s Donkey Sanctuary.
For over a year, the volunteers have been supporting the charity with maintenance work, including painting, yard maintenance and innovative storage solutions.
Their latest project has been a bespoke whirligig enrichment frame, built using recycled wood. The veterans also collected hazel from around the site and fixed it onto the structure.
The structure is already being explored by the residents at the Donkey Sanctuary’s Donkey Assisted Activities centre.
As donkeys are naturally curious, enrichment structures such as whirligigs are important to satisfy their behavioural needs. This gives them opportunities to interact with their environment, make decisions and remain mentally active.
In return, the Donkey Sanctuary invite the volunteers to spend their afternoons with the donkeys.
The Donkey Sanctuary says that spending time with the donkeys has proven therapeutic for the veterans’ wellbeing. It says that the members have found peace and increased mental wellness through their time with the donkeys.
John, an Armed Forces veteran and member of the Armed Forces Community Support Hub, said: “There is a comradeship between the Hub members, where we all feel we can be ourselves. I like spending time with the donkeys which brings me a sense of calm that often evades me in everyday life."
Sarah Worth, research officer at the Donkey Sanctuary, said: “It was great fun to work with such a fantastic group of people. They were keen to get stuck into a building project, worked together well and solved problems as a team.
“The best part was how on board they all were about donkey enrichment and how these devices can help us to provide the donkeys with browse in a new and interesting way.”
Image © The Donkey Sanctuary
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
