#Silvia the #donkey was #dying… and #crying for her #foal!

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser Forward this email to a friend Share Tweet We SAVED THEM BOTH. But there are more in desperate need. Please donate now Dear friends, Surely you remember our recent message about one of the most sickening situations we have ever witnessed. The images are impossible to forget!  A few weeks ago, in the poverty-stricken community of Bela Bela in South Africa, we encountered an act of such terrible cruelty it makes us shudder to think of it. A monster had hacked off a donkey’s legs, leaving it in ghastly pain to drag itself on bloody stumps to a lingering death. Imagine the pain the poor creature suffered! Your support is desperately needed so we can continue to help the innocent donkeys of Bela Bela! When we investigated, we found an entire community of donkey abuse. Bela Bela is so poor that people can barely feed themselves. Most animals must scavenge to survive.   And donkeys are literally worked to death. Please donate now Donkeys are used for transport. Grazing is scarce in the area and people can’t afford food, so the donkeys slowly starve, enduring lives of pain and hardship until death claims them. The people blame unemployment and have no idea how to solve the problem. It’s more than this. Many people in Bela Bela see animals as objects, not sentient creatures who feel pain and know fear. Donkeys are throw-away items. Owners work them until they drop and then they get a new one. It's a vicious cycle of work, neglect, cruelty and death. There’s no way we can stand by knowing this is happening. We promised to help, and with your support, we will. We are immediately providing emergency food relief for the poor creatures and teaching people basic animal care - explaining that regular food and water is vital to keep a donkey alive. So many of the donkeys are in heart-breaking condition. An injured donkey almost died in front of us. We saved her. Please donate now While our team was in Bela Bela, we found a shivering, badly injured donkey. Her owner had completely neglected her, and she was in terrible condition. We tried to persuade the owner to let us treat the donkey and threatened to call the police if he did not. The donkey owner just laughed. (The sad truth is that the police do nothing about animal cruelty, even though it is against the law.) We did what we had to do, what you would have wanted us to do - we bought the donkey and SAVED HER LIFE. We named her Silvia. When Silvia arrived at the sanctuary we support, she was immediately treated for her injuries, but something still wasn’t right - she was compulsively neighing. The team noticed her udders were full of milk. Silvia HAD A BABY, and she was calling for it! We immediately went back to the owner and bought the baby as well! These two will be well-cared for, thanks to NFA supporters like you. Two donkeys saved, so many more to go… We urgently need to provide more food and veterinary care for the poor donkeys in Bela Bela, please help if you possibly can. We estimate that at least 100 donkeys in Bela Bela are in the same terrible situation as Silvia. With your help, we can really improve their lives… hopefully making sure that no other donkey has their legs hacked off. Please, if you possibly can, donate today. For the animals, Brian and Gloria Davies (and Max and Flora!) Founders Network for Animals P.S. We have been trying to track down the culprit that mutilated the donkey, with no luck so far. People are scared to talk but, rest assured, we will keep digging. This person must be held responsible! Please be as generous as you can today. With your help, we will do everything in our power for these innocent donkeys.