Οι Αγγλοι,η Ελλάδα και τα γαιδούρια. Donkeys Have Their Day

Στη Wall street Journal δημοσιεύθηκαν στις 7 Δεκεμβρίου 2011 τα παρακάτω:

Hee Haw! Donkeys Get Last Laugh As One Greek Tragedy Ends Happily

British Rescue Beasts of Burden Abandoned by Strapped Owners

By SARA SCHAEFER MUñOZ

Life is good for a handful of donkeys living on an estate in the English countryside. They aren't natives of Great Britain. They're refugees from Greece--four-legged victims of the country's economic crisis. WSJ's Sara Schaefer Munoz reports.

LITTLEHAMPTON, England—The crumbling Greek economy nearly took down Christoforos, a lucky young stud with a shock of brown hair who goes by just one name.
Instead of being thrown out on the street last year—or worse—Christoforos escaped his humble digs on the island of Kos in an unlikely Odyssey that ended in the special wing of an aristocratic U.K. estate dubbed "The Donkey Palace."

Donkeys Have Their Day

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Sara Schaefer Muñoz/The Wall Street Journal

Donkeys amble about on a portion of an 11,000-acre estate called Angmering Park in Littlehampton, England.

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has refused bailout help for Greece. But that hasn't stopped British citizens from organizing the rescue of Greek donkeys abandoned by cash-strapped owners.
Last December, Christoforos and a companion, a white-nosed donkey named Fotis, made a five-day journey to the south of England on a special equine transport truck.
Today, they live on an 11,000-acre estate called Angmering Park, owned by Anne Herries, the daughter of a late Duke of Norfolk.
The two donkeys wander green rolling fields during the day and dine on fresh hay and ginger snaps. They enjoy frequent tooth and hoof cleaning. At night, they sleep in a heated stable with a view of the English Channel.
As Greek pensions shrink to help narrow government deficits, these animals enjoy a luxurious retirement abroad. "They must think they've landed in some sort of donkey heaven," said Gwen Ware, a British citizen who helped raise funds for their emigration through her charity, Saving Greek Animals.
At Lady Herries's estate, Christoforos and Fotis live with seven other donkeys saved from starvation or the slaughterhouse. There is room for about 40. But caretaker Fiona Burness said she feared crowding would cause the donkeys to "lose out on the socialization and the individual attention."
Donkeys have worked in Greece since the start of recorded history. They still carry food and firewood. Some haul tourists up steep steps in such vacations spots as Santorini.
Animal-rights groups say the animals are now being abandoned at a growing pace by Greek owners who can't afford them. The market for work donkeys has plummeted along with demand for Greek debt.
Donkeys "have no one to champion them," said Ms. Burness, Lady Herries's secretary, who helps care for the animals. At the sprawling English estate, she said, they have "deep straw beds, fresh water all the time, vets that come and see them at any time of night or day."
The British, known for a sometimes eccentric love of animals, have a special affection for donkeys. Riding donkeys on the beach in coastal resorts like Blackpool and Brighton was once a highlight of British vacations.
Others say Britons identify with the beasts' stoicism. "Snaffi, one of our donkeys, got his head stuck in a gate. He was just standing there quietly for 40 minutes, waiting for someone to come help him," said Ms. Burness. "A horse would have been going berserk."
It's unclear how many Greek donkeys are forsaken in the country's economic tragedy. A spokeswoman at Greece's agricultural ministry said the government had no information on the matter.
Barbara Doulyeraki, who runs Agia Marina Donkey Rescue in Crete, said she gets about two or three calls a week from villagers selling or giving away donkeys, up from about one call a month in years past.
She said older donkeys who can't work are sometimes left on roadsides to starve or are sold to roving meat vendors.
"It's quite a tragic situation," said Ms. Doulyeraki. "These donkeys have worked for 25 or 30 years, really hard."
The Donkey Sanctuary, based in England's southwest region of Devon, funds a Greek rescue facility that costs €45,000 a year, or about $60,000.
Another U.K.-based charity, Greek Animal Rescue, raises about €150,000 per year, with a portion earmarked for a donkey sanctuary on the island of Kos.
The group's founder, Vesna Jones, helped relocate Christoforos. "They're lucky," she said, "those that make it out."
Immigration requires only a horse passport—also good for donkeys and zebras—that lists age, medications and, sometimes, a silhouette for identification.
"It's free movement across borders for donkeys," said a spokesman for the U.K.'s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The department doesn't track the number of donkey entries.
On a recent day, Christoforos and Fotis brayed and gently butted visitors to their estate. The animals ate scrub brush for years in Greece but now they turn up their nose at anything but premium racehorse hay.
Some rescued donkeys work a bit to break up the day. At the Donkey Sanctuary in Devon, donkeys give rides to emotionally-troubled children as therapy. Others make house calls to comfort the elderly.
"A young healthy donkey isn't going to like standing around in field all day," said Suzi Cretney, a senior public relations officer for the sanctuary.
Aliki, now called Alice by her English caretakers at Lady Herries's estate, will work onstage soon. She's cast to carry Mary in the local Nativity play.
Write to Sara Schaefer Muñoz at Sara.Schaefer-Munoz@wsj.com