Life was anything but easy for this little foal, after being rejected by its own mother shortly after birth. But fortunately he is not alone. Surrounded by love and affection, the desperate baby donkey overcame a difficult situation and turned it in his favor, finding a loving new mother!
Ben’s mother was already pregnant when she arrived at the donkey shelter in England. Her birth was only two months away, and a mare named Millie was not yet ready to become a mother. Unfortunately, despite her staff’s efforts to prepare her for her job ahead of her, that just wasn’t meant to be. And shortly after her birth she abandoned her baby!
“The mare and foal were not together and showed no signs of the bonding process that normally occurs,” the shelter wrote. “We carefully persuaded her to accept him, but this young, inexperienced mother simply didn’t want her cub close to her. It was clear that she rejected him.”
The chances of surviving without a mother for a newborn animal were extremely slim, and Ben was nothing but the same. But the shelter’s dedicated people did their best to save the little foal, and it worked out in the end. They bottle fed him at 3-4 hours and spend a lot of time together, making him feel comfortable and loved. But nevertheless, little Ben needed someone to warm and protect him every second and only his mother could.
Since his mother was absent, the staff decided to introduce Ben to another mare at the shelter, “aunty” Jingle. To everyone’s surprise, they soon became inseparable. All the members were even more overjoyed to see Ben finally found his beloved mother. After all he’s been through, he really deserves it!
Check out the video below to learn more about Ben’s touching story!