The Donkey Sanctuary of Canada (DSC) is thrilled to announce the birth of Flint, a healthy baby boy donkey, who came into the world at 1:45am July 20.
He weighs approximately 40 pounds and wobbled to his feet very quickly, latching on to his mother, Diamond, as soon as he could.
Mother and son are doing very well. The vet said everything is excellent, all indicators perfect.
Flint is the fourth foal to be born to six-year-old Diamond, a quiet, gentle jennet who has been pregnant almost all of her life. She and her three offspring were relinquished to the DSC in August 2013 after a life of neglect and substandard care; the DSC was alerted to the situation by the Hamilton-Burlington SPCA and we were able to take them in immediately. When the family first arrived, their hooves were terribly long and twisted, causing them to walk very awkwardly and with pain. They were malnourished and wary of people.
The youngest of the donkeys, now named Ruby, was just 10 days old, and also had a respiratory infection. She and her sister Pearl, and brother Jasper, were tended to quickly by the vet and farrier, and are now flourishing, along with 70 other donkeys and mules.
Mom Diamond was pregnant when she arrived though this will be her last as the DSC does not breed donkeys. “We are so happy Flint was born safely, and that mother and baby are healthy. Both will be monitored carefully and given the best care possible. We thank the many people who have followed the story of these rescue donkeys and sent both financial support and best wishes,” said executive director Katharin Harkins.
Pictures and updates will be posted on Facebook, Twitter, and the website. Mom and baby are in a private stall for now open only to animal care staff. Visits soon – stay tuned to Facebook and Twitter.
