If you have ever driven through Reche Canyon there is a chance you may have witnessed a donkey walking freely through the street. Some of these donkeys or burros might have been rescued by an organization called Donkeyland.
Donkeyland is a rescue facility for donkeys or burros that are found sick, injured or orphaned. They are a non-profit charitable organization where every dollar goes to taking care of the animals that are at their facility. It was originally founded by Amber Levonne and her father Phil Saavedra. The vision and mission of Donkeyland are to educate people about donkeys and to keep them safe and free.
Donkeyland is a haven for donkeys from the surrounding areas. The organization takes in donkeys who have been beaten, neglected, starved and have endured other acts of animal cruelty. Volunteers of the organization take care of the animals that come in and try to heal them. The donkeys and burros stay for as long as it takes them to become healthy again. They are then transferred to a safe home. If for any reason their well being does not progress, then they will become permanent residents of Donkeyland in which the volunteers will continue to care for them as needed. The organization wants to restore the animal’s faith in humanity and will be a strong voice for them.
Over the years the wild donkeys have faced many threats in the Reche Canyon region. With the increasing amount of people passing through, many donkeys are in danger of getting hit by cars or taken to be used as pets. From the speedsters zooming through the canyon to those not fully aware of their surroundings. The donkeys have come into many collisions with vehicles passing in this area. While often times people are kind enough to stop and let them pass through, this is not always the case.
If there is an injured donkey, occasionally people will try and assist it or take care of it themselves. Unfortunately, not many know how to treat an injured animal and this could lead to further injury.
To protect these precious animals, Donkeyland has produced an awareness campaign to be shared throughout the community. The name of the campaign is “Leave the Burros Be” which discourages the public from illegally kidnapping baby burros, mistakenly thinking the burros have been abandoned by their mothers. Young burros need their mothers for their milk because it contains certain antibodies that help their immune system. The mothers also suffer from feeling the loss of their child. Burros are federally protected, making it illegal to take them for any reason. The campaign states, if you see an injured burro to call Animal Control or Donkeyland rescue.
Donkeyland has recently been handed a slice of kindness from a very generous celebrity. Originally Donkeyland was on a leased 10-acre land until the owners decided to sell the property. Then in 2016, Bob Barker, former “The Price is Right” host, donated $400,000 from his DJ&T Foundation. Barker is known to be an animal lover and has donated to a plethora of animal organizations. This donation bought about 26 acres in Reche Canyon, so the donkeys can have a secure shelter. They moved into that land this past Valentine’s Day. Even though they had their own protected land, there were still many problems like residential development and juvenile human behavior. At the end of June, Bob Barker donated an undisclosed amount to purchase 466 acres across Colton and Moreno Valley. On Donkeyland’s Facebook, it was announced this massive area will be known as the “Bob Barker Wild Burros Preserve.”
With all the new additions to land development, Donkeyland continues to want to give wild donkeys and burros a safe place to roam around in without being disturbed by the public. Even at their facility, they do not allow visitors to come to pet the donkeys they are rescuing. With the announcement of Bob Barker’s contributions, there has been a rise in donations to keep the facility going and well stocked with supplies. Every contribution helps and Donkeyland wants to continue to inform the public about their campaign and teach them how imperative it is to protect these spirited animals. Donkeys and burros are well-known to the area and have the right to be carefree in their own land.