Baby Donkey Rejected by Mother Finds a Loving Home With the Humans of the Same Farm

A sweet little baby donkey named Darragh who was rejected by his mother at a farm in Galway, Ireland, found a loving home with the humans of the very same farm who took him in raised him as if he were their own.

Caring for Darragh as a newborn was an around-the-clock job with feedings every three hours but Torsten Islei and his partner remained dedicated to Darragh’s well-being. Even though Darragh is off the bottle, he still stays close at hand.

His mother just bluntly rejected him. As far he’s concerned my partner and I are his mummy because we fed him. The most remarkable thing is that he can’t differentiate between us and the other donkeys.

Islei loves the fact that Darragh thinks he’s human but also wants him to remember that he’s a donkey. Sadly, Darragh’s mother wants nothing to do with him

We made sure that he spends a fair amount of time with the herd so he doesn’t forget that he is actually a donkey. …Donkeys have a strong pecking order. He’s trying to make an impression. Unfortunately mama just walks away.

In the end, no matter what Darragh believes himself to be, he will always have a loving home.

I don’t think there’s any difference now between how he interacts with his mom or with any other donkey in the herd. He will be cared for as long as he’s with us.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.