Mannar Donkey Management & Welfare

Donkey Assisted Therapy (DAT) centre

DAT brings together two lesser affirmed groups – MARDAP’s children with special needs and donkeys.

Bonding with donkeys through riding, grooming and befriending them encourages affective engagement and stimulates the child's development – improving balance, muscles, core stability, fine motor skills, hand and eye co-ordination, body posture, speech, language, colour-number-shape-symbol recognition, thus boosting self-esteem and confidence in children.

Donkey adoption program

Adopt a donkey for AUD 33 (USD 25) per month and restore the donkey to its former glory of valued companion. Prior to the war a close-knit relationship existed between human and animal. Donkeys were domesticated and each had an owner.

By nature, donkeys forge very close and loyal bonds with humans and make extraordinarily special pets. In a ‘back to the future’ move, families of Mannar will be encouraged to ‘adopt a donkey’ or two, provide food and water, and learn to tame and handle them. This has already commenced!

Donkey relocation & welfare program

In lots of 25 per month, the donkeys will be moved from the urban precinct for work-ready and welfare assessments. They will undergo treatment for injury and disease.

Adult stallions will be castrated to achieve a sustainable population of donkeys into the future. Those classified fit for work will be inoculated and micro chipped. Donkeys will also be tamed, groomed and ready for easy handling.

Donkey feeding stations

The establishment of neighbourhood feeding stations throughout Mannar is another tactic to entice donkeys from the town centre.

Local vendors provide unwanted vegetable and fruit which are collected and delivered to participating households of the feeding program. Provision of regular food and water enables local families to tame and befriend donkeys. New food sources like the left-overs from Timex Garment Factory’s staff canteen have been tapped.

Capacity building of veterinary staff

In Mannar, little is known about the care and treatment of donkeys. Regular workshops and clinics will be conducted by veterinary surgeons from around the globe for local veterinary staff from Wildlife Conservation, Animal Production & Health, local animal welfare agencies and the armed forces.

Vets and animal carers from various animal welfare agencies based in Sri Lanka and overseas have pledged their support.

Donkey clinic and sanctuary

The one acre property has been cleared, levelled and fenced. We await funds of $20,000 to construct a properly equipped clinic and sanctuary for the treatment of Mannar’s donkeys and ponies.

The centre will also act as a training centre and repository for resource materials on the care and treatment of donkeys. Tourists will be encouraged to visit the centre and shown how to handle, walk and groom the tamed animals.

Click here to see donkey sanctuary schematic layout

Volunteer animal care program

If you are vet or a lover of animals, come and volunteer with us!

There are many passionate animal lovers world-wide and also in Sri Lanka eager to volunteer their services for worthy animal welfare causes. They hail from agencies like Donkey Sanctuary UK and India, Worldwide Veterinary Service (UK), Animal Aid Abroad (Aust.) and Animal Welfare Trust (Sri Lanka).Volunteers will be trained. Contribute for two weeks or more for the cause of Mannar’s donkeys.

Donkey branding and merchandising

Purchase a t-shirt and support animal welfare! Similar to successfully animal brands like Embark, commercial branding of Mannar’s donkeys will create a buzz and an ‘in fashion’ vibe, transforming a negative perception of the adorable animal into an attractive, marketable commodity.

Funky Donkey t-shirts will be worn proudly by the younger generation. All proceeds will be used to fund the many donkey projects.

School and community awareness campaigns

Several community awareness sessions have already been conducted at primary and secondary schools, women’s rural development societies and for the general public to produce positive changes to currently held negative perceptions of the donkey.

A rolling campaign through community awareness sessions, Sakthi FM, Uthayan newspaper and Mannar.com to raise the profile of the donkey, will provide a positive foundation and networks of support for the various donkey welfare programs.