December 30 2017
Thanks to kind donors, including local hardware stores and other businesses, individuals who have adopted donkeys, and an overseas grant, Antigua’s Donkey Sanctuary is now fully wheelchair accessible.
The project took a few months to complete and is now used and enjoyed by visitors with physical challenges. A concrete pathway goes around the entire petting area and leads to a wheelchair accessible restroom for visitors.
In December 2017, a generous donation of a much-needed wheelchair was provided to the Sanctuary. On December 30th 2017, the Sanctuary welcomed Donna Knauer, the first visitor to use the new wheelchair. Donna was able to utilize the cement path to brush and enjoy the donkeys. Since then, the Sanctuary has welcomed several individuals with physical limitations, including children, as well as families who can now use the path to push their toddlers in strollers.
Said Karen Corbin, President of the Antigua & Barbuda Humane Society, the nonprofit organization that manages Antigua’s Donkey Sanctuary, “We are so grateful and happy that our visitors and friends who support us and who may have physical limitations, can now have full access to visit with the residents up close.”
Antigua’s Donkey Sanctuary is currently home to more than 150 donkeys. The Sanctuary welcomes visitors and is a favourite stop for children and adults alike. It offers families travelling on vacation a wonderful alternative to another day on the beach.
The Humane Society plans to gradually bring all stray and roaming donkeys into the Sanctuary in order to keep them safe and to protect the community from the damage they do as they search for food and water. In addition to providing limited on-site grazing and carrying water to them, the Humane Society also cuts and carries guinea grass or corn to the donkeys every day. The Society has received occasional grants for fencing projects and shelter construction but providing the necessary labour to feed the donkeys is primarily the Humane Society’s responsibility.
Antigua’s Donkey Sanctuary is open to visitors Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. including most public holidays. Admission is free.
We look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you for a visit.
