On Thursday, April 28, at 6:45 am, a new messenger arrived on the sanctuary—Jasmine Pearl, a miniature donkey born to Lily Rose and Ferdinand.
Jasmine Pearl just born with mother Lily Rose and Daisy the dog watching
Nature is truly amazing. The little one was walking half an hour after being born. She came on wobbly legs right over to me as I crooned to her. I think it was because she recognized my voice from me talking to her in the womb.
Ferdinand, her father, brayed in the early morning on Thursday. He often does that, but I usually look out the window to see if anything is going on. This time I saw Lily Rose lying on the ground, straining. I went running out and arrived just as the baby crowned. Lily did a beautiful job of delivering her, and both mother and child were fine.
1 hour old
All the animals watched the delivery, too, and the full-size donkeys greeted the event with musically complex braying. I had mother and child in their own fenced area so Lily Rose wouldn’t stress over protecting her child, but she let the two guardian dogs greet the baby nose to nose through the fence.
With Ferdinand the father
When father Ferdinand came over, however, she turned and gave little kicks to let him know he needed to keep his distance. The full-size donkeys watched respectfully from afar. The sheep and goats came closer, but only after Ferdinand approached. Perseus the miniature horse checked out the baby through the fence, too, but Pegasus was too busy grazing.
2 hours old
What a joyous addition to our sanctuary family! Welcome, Jasmine Pearl!
Jasmine Pearl taking a rest
