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Donkey's Years
Hardback book about the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, and their welfare work with donkeys overseas.
- GenresAnimalsNonfiction
96 pages, Hardcover
Published October 23, 1986
About the author
Elisabeth D. Svendsen
35 books2 followersElisabeth Doreen Svendsen MBE was a British animal welfare advocate and former hotelier. Svendsen founded The Donkey Sanctuary, an animal sanctuary headquartered in Sidmouth, England, in 1969 to help abused or homeless donkeys. She also founded a related charity, the Elisabeth Svendsen Trust for Children and Donkeys, located in Ivybridge, during the 1970s.
The Donkey Sanctuary has cared for more than 14,500 donkeys as of 2011. The sanctuary, which now has a veterinary hospital and overnight accommodations, employs approximately 500 people worldwide, including sixty in the United Kingdom who investigate reports of abused donkeys. Svendsen expanded the sanctuary to Latin America, Asia, and Africa. She founded a donkey hospital with emergency room in Ethiopia, where the lifespan of a donkey is just nine years. Mobile donkey clinics have also been dispatched in Mexico, Kenya, and India.
Svendsen's sister charity to the Donkey Sanctuary, the Elisabeth Svendsen Trust for Children and Donkeys, provides riding therapy between donkeys and children with special needs.
During her career, Svendsen authored more than twelve books, including two autobiographies, Down Among the Donkeys in 1981 and For the Love of Donkeys in 1993, as well as a series of children's books.
Svendsen became a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1980. In 2001, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals awarded her with the Lord Erskine Award. Elisabeth Svendsen died at her home on 11 May 2011, after suffering a stroke at the age of 81. Her son, Paul Svendsen, is the head of The Donkey Sanctuary's European operations.
The Donkey Sanctuary has cared for more than 14,500 donkeys as of 2011. The sanctuary, which now has a veterinary hospital and overnight accommodations, employs approximately 500 people worldwide, including sixty in the United Kingdom who investigate reports of abused donkeys. Svendsen expanded the sanctuary to Latin America, Asia, and Africa. She founded a donkey hospital with emergency room in Ethiopia, where the lifespan of a donkey is just nine years. Mobile donkey clinics have also been dispatched in Mexico, Kenya, and India.
Svendsen's sister charity to the Donkey Sanctuary, the Elisabeth Svendsen Trust for Children and Donkeys, provides riding therapy between donkeys and children with special needs.
During her career, Svendsen authored more than twelve books, including two autobiographies, Down Among the Donkeys in 1981 and For the Love of Donkeys in 1993, as well as a series of children's books.
Svendsen became a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1980. In 2001, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals awarded her with the Lord Erskine Award. Elisabeth Svendsen died at her home on 11 May 2011, after suffering a stroke at the age of 81. Her son, Paul Svendsen, is the head of The Donkey Sanctuary's European operations.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 23, 2024
Dr. Elisabeth Svendsen was a British animal welfare advocate and lifelong donkey enthusiast. She founded the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, Devon, which is responsible for 7,000 donkeys worldwide, with some housed in local farms and others in six public sanctuaries across the UK, as well as those at Sidmouth.
In later life, as well as still taking an active part in the daily running of the sanctuary, Elisabeth Svendsen wrote many books about the donkeys to raise money for the sanctuary and for all her donkey welfare work abroad. By the time of this book in 1986, the Donkey Sanctuary had taken in
2400 donkeys, and Elisabeth Svendsen had been awarded an MBE. She was now known throughout the world, both for her work, and also loved by both young and old for these entertaining books. All are factual; some are short story books with pictures, written with children in mind as the target audience, but others, like this one, are directed at adults.
The phrase “donkey's years” means a long time, and originated in the early 20th century, apparently as a pun on the long ears of a donkey. The title Donkey’s Years is a clever pun in a different way, since the book focuses on three ages of every donkey’s life: “The Early Years”, “Working Days” and “Old Age”. The text of the first section is well balanced between anecdotes about individual donkeys the author has known (and taken in to the sanctuary), and useful information about donkey welfare in the early years, including common ailments. The second section describes the condition of donkeys living overseas. Elisabeth Svendsen reveals that the average age of donkeys in other countries is just 11 years, but here in England it is between 32 and 37, and in the sanctuary they can reach an even older age. One is known to be 51 years old, and still enjoying life. Over two hundred of them are over 20 years old.
The reason is simple. Donkeys in Great Britain are usually companion animals, purchased for pleasure, whereas donkeys abroad are working animals. Some, but not all, are put under intolerable pressures and literally worked until they drop dead in harness. But others are much valued members of the family. These latter ones are kindly treated, but because their owners are poor, they cannot afford to treat their illnesses. These donkeys are often emaciated and plagued by parasites (which can lead to their death). There are many anecdotes in this section too; some but not all of them sad tales. Often people have been overjoyed to receive free medical treatment and advice about their much loved and valued family donkey, who might live in the same simple quarters as they do.
In the third section the attention is back at the sanctuary, where donkeys spend their resting years. They arrive for all sorts of reasons, and Elisabeth Svendsen tells a few of their stories. Some are born there, when mares arrive in foal, so they are of all ages. She also describes the Slade Centre where children with all types of physical disabilities spend time with the donkeys, and how they seem to develop a special mutual relationship. She tells how the donkeys stand in a line by the fence, braying their welcomes when they see the children's coach arrive. The author also writes about the beach donkeys, who carry people on rides, and how she campaigned to have a licensing system put in place nationwide, and wrote the charter for this with the help of a veterinary surgeon.
Donkey’s Years is a medium to large format book with a laminated cover. It is well illustrated with many alternate double pages being colour or monochrome photographs, or a single page for variety. All the photographers are credited. The text is clear.
This book is a treat for anyone who loves animals, and conveys the personality of donkeys very well. They have a sense of humour, and can be mischievous or stubborn at will, but their gentle nature and stoicism is often taken advantage of. It also contains quite a bit of information along the way.
In later life, as well as still taking an active part in the daily running of the sanctuary, Elisabeth Svendsen wrote many books about the donkeys to raise money for the sanctuary and for all her donkey welfare work abroad. By the time of this book in 1986, the Donkey Sanctuary had taken in
2400 donkeys, and Elisabeth Svendsen had been awarded an MBE. She was now known throughout the world, both for her work, and also loved by both young and old for these entertaining books. All are factual; some are short story books with pictures, written with children in mind as the target audience, but others, like this one, are directed at adults.
The phrase “donkey's years” means a long time, and originated in the early 20th century, apparently as a pun on the long ears of a donkey. The title Donkey’s Years is a clever pun in a different way, since the book focuses on three ages of every donkey’s life: “The Early Years”, “Working Days” and “Old Age”. The text of the first section is well balanced between anecdotes about individual donkeys the author has known (and taken in to the sanctuary), and useful information about donkey welfare in the early years, including common ailments. The second section describes the condition of donkeys living overseas. Elisabeth Svendsen reveals that the average age of donkeys in other countries is just 11 years, but here in England it is between 32 and 37, and in the sanctuary they can reach an even older age. One is known to be 51 years old, and still enjoying life. Over two hundred of them are over 20 years old.
The reason is simple. Donkeys in Great Britain are usually companion animals, purchased for pleasure, whereas donkeys abroad are working animals. Some, but not all, are put under intolerable pressures and literally worked until they drop dead in harness. But others are much valued members of the family. These latter ones are kindly treated, but because their owners are poor, they cannot afford to treat their illnesses. These donkeys are often emaciated and plagued by parasites (which can lead to their death). There are many anecdotes in this section too; some but not all of them sad tales. Often people have been overjoyed to receive free medical treatment and advice about their much loved and valued family donkey, who might live in the same simple quarters as they do.
In the third section the attention is back at the sanctuary, where donkeys spend their resting years. They arrive for all sorts of reasons, and Elisabeth Svendsen tells a few of their stories. Some are born there, when mares arrive in foal, so they are of all ages. She also describes the Slade Centre where children with all types of physical disabilities spend time with the donkeys, and how they seem to develop a special mutual relationship. She tells how the donkeys stand in a line by the fence, braying their welcomes when they see the children's coach arrive. The author also writes about the beach donkeys, who carry people on rides, and how she campaigned to have a licensing system put in place nationwide, and wrote the charter for this with the help of a veterinary surgeon.
Donkey’s Years is a medium to large format book with a laminated cover. It is well illustrated with many alternate double pages being colour or monochrome photographs, or a single page for variety. All the photographers are credited. The text is clear.
This book is a treat for anyone who loves animals, and conveys the personality of donkeys very well. They have a sense of humour, and can be mischievous or stubborn at will, but their gentle nature and stoicism is often taken advantage of. It also contains quite a bit of information along the way.
April 28, 2013
This is a lovely little book picked up for next to nothing at a charity shop and read over a few days. Written by one of the founders of The Donkey Sanctuary, it is an enjoyable read for all animal lovers.
The first chapter describes a donkey's early years, with the second describing a working life. This covers the donkey's kept in much poorer countries, but not all the stories are doom and gloom. The same goes for the last chapter, dedicated to the twilight years. The book has a great mixture of hard fact and case stories, loads of pictures and enough change to make you laugh and cry in the same page!
The first chapter describes a donkey's early years, with the second describing a working life. This covers the donkey's kept in much poorer countries, but not all the stories are doom and gloom. The same goes for the last chapter, dedicated to the twilight years. The book has a great mixture of hard fact and case stories, loads of pictures and enough change to make you laugh and cry in the same page!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews