'Miracle' foal born after mother donkey dumped

The birth of a donkey foal has been described as a "miracle" after its "terrified" mother was abandoned at a sanctuary.

Linda Gilbert said the mother donkey had been "dumped like unwanted rubbish" while pregnant at Barnhill Donkeys Retreat near Penrith, Cumbria, in February.

Gilbert said the foal, which was named Alfie by children from Kendal-based disability group WOSP, was born on Monday "with huge ears and was the spit of his mum".

She said "if donkeys could smile, his mum was beaming" and added her new "calm attitude" had made the sanctuary "more determined to keep putting them back on their feet".

The mother, called April, was abandoned while 11 months pregnant in a "poor condition and was incredibly frightened".

For two months she has been cared for by the sanctuary, which said she had started growing a "glossy coat".

"Yesterday, she appeared around the corner of the stable and gave me a look like 'come see what I've got'," Gilbert said.

"And there was this baby foal. It's a miracle," she added.

Gilbert said April was "besotted" with her baby and was "so overjoyed" at the birth.

In March, the sanctuary said it was struggling to care for its donkeys after experiencing a sudden influx of dumped, unwanted animals.

"It's been an incredibly long, wet, expensive winter," Gilbert said.

"It's easier to dump donkeys like rubbish rather them let them die and risk be prosecuted.

"We're used to having donkeys dumped, but the difference is that the donkeys being left in the past few months are in appalling condition."

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