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/ #199 Re: Yes we agree they should remain free.

2014-01-04 16:22

#198: -  

 

 An Articl just sent to a Bonaire local News paper in responce to the Donkey Sanctuary propaganda
Donkey s rebuttal       
After reading the "The Great Donkey Round-up" article, we have to ask is it so Great, or is it propaganda to make the public think so??
  The program and contract designed by Donkey Help,the  head of the environmental committee and STINAPA, etc., and approved by the government of Bonaire, reads:
"All the donkeys will be captured.  The females will be  kept in captivity.  The males will be castrated and then  put back out on the island. The old and wounded  will be killed."
I am told the purpose of this contract  is to remove all the so called nuisance donkeys from Bonaire. Question? Who is more of a nuisance? Are the donkeys  really  at fault?
 
 The shame of it is, there are more humane and cost effective ways to eliminate what they call, the nuisance of the Bonairean donkey, that would be more effective and less traumatizing to the animals. These methods would keep the culture of Bonaire and it's donkeys, that so many local residents and tourists could continue to enjoy them.
 
Problem with the contracted capturing, traumatizing and killing.
# 1 The donkeys are being victimized for the easy way of solving a problem.
Donkey families are being  separated. Contrary to what the article says, some old ones and some injured that could have been cured were killed. It is hard to believe that the first report that 30 of the first 101 had to be killed. I say killed, rather  than the term used by the Sanctuary "euthanized" to make it sound OK. Euthanized means to put to sleep animals or persons that are terminally ill or in pain with no chance of survival; not  just killing  the old or injured.  
 Yes, they need to be commended for putting to sleep the terminally ill or not curable, but there no reason to kill the  old or injured.
They talk about 22 years of helping. They have done some good as mentioned above, but  what is not revealed is that  they have only been keeping  females, (only in rare cases do they take a few males). This has disrupted the balance and with a majority of males left , they fight for the few females still enjoying there freedom. This makes them injure each other, (most of us have noticed Males with torn necks, etc.).
It also has caused most of the injuries to donkeys and vehicles due to the males chasing each other across roads.
 
They list a $20. per head fee per donkey. This is just a bounty, that has persons not qualified are traumatizing and catching with improper methods and  injuring some. Others were lured into yards and kept for days with out any nutrition.
 
Funding and financial situation.
The article states that the sanctuary costs would be $97,000.  a year for the next 40 years.   Would it not make more sense to just care for the old, injured and sick  and to leave the healthy ones free to roam in safe areas?  Then we could  use the difference to a fund  animal parks and green areas on many parts of Bonaire.  For now they can be left in the open, and as the  human population  closes around them we can fence them in as green areas for tourist attractions that would benefit the island of Bonaire. The article mentions  that some on Bonaire think the two  shareholders of the Donkey sanctuary  
are making money off there program.  May I suggest that they make their financial situation public.  This would clear all suspicion.   
 
WOW? What a statement,     "Not all donkeys are Healthy enough for a life in the non profit sanctuary".
 What is donkey help there for?  Most believe that the donations from many places should be used to let the old live out there life and  heal and care for the injured. Many cures can be handled with out the expense of a Veterinarian. Or as in the past, there was a Government/Veterinarian  agreement to treat ill or injured donkeys.
 
 Male donkey's to be Taken to new homes in the mondi,
 All that have had contact with the donkeys know that  you can move a donkey to a new location 20 miles away and  in 2 days he will be back.
Yes, there are donkeys in residential areas and close to the roads.
There were always a few. It is not that donkeys are now coming to town, it is town that came to the donkeys.
These few donkeys, would be a case for a new home,  a person with a fenced area that would like to have one for there children or just a fabulous pet. It very well may be placed in the sanctuary. ..Not all the donkeys on Bonaire need to be Captured, killed, traumatized or put into a camp.
 
I can go on with the fallacies in there attempt to promote the catch and kill program but,
I would rather tell the public, that yes, there has to be control, if the donkey population gets out of hand. It can be done with some sterilization, by giving  donkeys  to persons on Bonaire with fenced areas, that would love to  give  these wonderful warm blooded animals a home.  Also, we could  send complete families to other locations. If the Kunuku wells were put back in service with a water catch, the donkeys would make there rounds but stay in those remote areas. They make light of cutting the bush back on the side of the roads but this would be a big help. 
The decision  to eliminate Bonairan Donkeys by contract,  was decided mostly  by people not from Bonaire.   Their reason  was to protect the plant life by getting rid of the donkeys and goats.  This may not be valid.   It is my understanding that  these  animals do more to fertilize our  dry land than hurting our vegatation. Everywhere I go in the mondi I see donkey and goat dung.
 
I believe that  any decision that has  to do with animals, should be taken by those that have experiences and love for animals.  This way the solution would benefit both sides in a humane way.  It would not be a selfish  or a one sided situation,  as has happened on  many islands and in other countries.
On our island only 15% of the land is inhabited by humans.  We have a population of 17,000 people, and we are as  green as ever. What is the real problem??
Finally, If Bonaire is truly interested in its image and is to increase green tourism, it would have to be honest, and  let the world know we can cohabitat with our animals,without traumatizing them.
 
Then donations would come from all over  the world with the possibility of having animal parks and green areas in many places on Bonaire before we become a concrete jungle and have no open land left.  If you have been to New York and have visited Central Park this is an example of good planning..
 
As the donkeys can not voice there opinion. I will for them   ...AL...