A series of caches meant to provide a little information about my favourite equine - the donkey:-) All of the donkeys in the photos on the cache pages can be found living nearby at The Donkey Sanctuary of Canada.
The natural lifespan of a donkey can be as long as 50+years, with the average being 30 years. Domesticated donkeys receiving excellent care are often the ones who survive past 40. With age comes behavioural and physiological changes. Degeneration of eyesight is common and so the eyes of elderly donkeys should be regularly checked for discolouration. Behavioural changes such as startling easy and walking into things are also telltale signs of degrading vision. Most donkeys cope well with blindness as long as they are kept in a familiar environments and care is taken to keep their routine and surroundings consistent. Arthritis in the neck and spine is a common ailment so adjusting the height of feed bowls and water troughs may be neccessary. To avoid slipping, aging donkeys should be kept on relatively flat ground and be carefully lead over uneven obstacles.
At 32, Pansy was the oldest miniature donkey at the sanctuary. She lived out her life in the barnyard, first with her daughter Poppy. Upon Poppy's death, Pansy became bonded closely to another miniature donkey, Sable. When Sable passed away, Katy, another miniature donkey who had also recently lost her bonded partner, became Pansy's closest companion. So much loss...so resilient.
Pansy (1985-2017)