Christmas Mayhem With AlanThe Donkey!

Tracy Garton wasn’t a huge fan of Christmas, but a mischievous donkey called Alan made her view things a little differently…

- Claire Saul

Radcliffe Donkey Sanctuary was established 25 years ago, after animal-loving Tracy Garton, aided by her husband Steve, rescued a neglected mule.

“Muffin needed a companion so we got him a couple of donkey friends and things just evolved from there,” explains Tracy. “From then on people phoned us when they saw a donkey needing help. We never planned to run a sanctuary, it just happened!”

The current sanctuary roster includes 51 donkeys, three donkey/zebra crossbreeds, two horses, three ponies, two mules and a handful of chickens. Life is certainly never dull for Tracy, and one donkey above all keeps her on her toes.

“We rescued a donkey that had been abandoned in Birmingham. He had been mistreated from the word go. He was emaciated, covered in lice and he had problems with his hooves, his teeth, everything. He had given up on life and he was just ready to die.”

Named Alan by Tracy, the donkey happily soon began to thrive under the sanctuary’s expert care.