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Armed forces veterans provide enrichment for rescued donkeys
The whirligig is important to satisfy the donkeys' behavioural needs.
Volunteers built bespoke whirligig frames for The Donkey Sanctuary.

A group of veterans from the Armed Forces Community Support Hub in Devon have been supporting enrichment activities for donkeys at Sidmouth’s Donkey Sanctuary.

For over a year, the volunteers have been supporting the charity with maintenance work, including painting, yard maintenance and innovative storage solutions.

Their latest project has been a bespoke whirligig enrichment frame, built using recycled wood. The veterans also collected hazel from around the site and fixed it onto the structure.

The structure is already being explored by the residents at the Donkey Sanctuary’s Donkey Assisted Activities centre.

As donkeys are naturally curious, enrichment structures such as whirligigs are important to satisfy their behavioural needs. This gives them opportunities to interact with their environment, make decisions and remain mentally active.

In return, the Donkey Sanctuary invite the volunteers to spend their afternoons with the donkeys.

The Donkey Sanctuary says that spending time with the donkeys has proven therapeutic for the veterans’ wellbeing. It says that the members have found peace and increased mental wellness through their time with the donkeys.

John, an Armed Forces veteran and member of the Armed Forces Community Support Hub, said: “There is a comradeship between the Hub members, where we all feel we can be ourselves. I like spending time with the donkeys which brings me a sense of calm that often evades me in everyday life."

Sarah Worth, research officer at the Donkey Sanctuary, said:  “It was great fun to work with such a fantastic group of people. They were keen to get stuck into a building project, worked together well and solved problems as a team.

“The best part was how on board they all were about donkey enrichment and how these devices can help us to provide the donkeys with browse in a new and interesting way.”

Image © The Donkey Sanctuary

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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Germany livestock import ban lifted

The UK government has amended its ban on the import of livestock, meat and dairy products from Germany.

Defra said the decision follows 'rigorous technical assessment' of the measures applied and the current situation. "If the situation changes, we will not hesitate to take necessary action in response to the FMD outbreaks in the European Union to protect our domestic biosecurity," it said.

The ban was implemented in January following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) near Berlin. Personal imports of meat, milk and dairy products will remain in place at a country level.