PARK rangers at Walton Hall and Gardens are delighted to welcome Charlie and Lenny to the Children’s Zoo.
They are two young donkeys from the Donkey Sanctuary and The Children’s Zoo has fostered the them and is offering them a loving home for the rest of their lives. Lenny is a dark brown donkey and is four years old. Charlie is a strawberry roan and is slightly older at five years old.
Lenny and Charlie were relinquished to The Donkey Sanctuary in April 2014 by a lady from Yorkshire along with two other mares, as her husband had been injured and had to retire. They were taken to the centre in Buxton were they received a through medical, and settled in, joining a group of resident donkeys and spent their days quietly roaming the fields and barns.
As Lenny and Charlie are both nice natured young donkeys staff at the Donkey Sanctuary decided they would benefit from joining the foster scheme where they would receive one to one attention and were matched to The Children’s Zoo, who were waiting for young confident donkeys who would fit into the lively atmosphere of the zoo.
The new arrivals follow the death last December of popular Bo Bo the donkey, who had been a fixture for nearly 30 years.
Ranger Peter Cookson-Dean said: “It is fantastic to have donkey’s return to the Children’s Zoo. We love coming into work and listening to them braying good morning! We hope that the donkey’s will be able to interact with school groups and work experience students and volunteers once they have settled down.’
There will be regular updates on how Lenny and Charlie are getting on via the zoo’s facebook page – The Children’s Zoo, Walton Hall Gardens. The zoo is open daily from 10:30am – 4:45pm.
The donkeys arrive at their new home from the Donkey Sanctuary
