Maple's Tale...

Like so many of the donkeys who come through kill shelters, when Maple arrived at Camp Tails she was in terrible shape, both physically and emotionally.  While she was in the auction pipeline, her donkey companion was fatally injured when one of the auctioneers jumped on her back and broke it.  At the time, Maple and her companion were skin and bones, weighing only about 300 pounds.  The auctioneer weighed about 250, so injury was almost certain to occur.  Maple witnessed this horrible event and sadly had to watch as they shot and killed her BFF in front of her. 

Donkeys are very sensitive and grieve the loss of loved ones like humans do. Sometimes, the survivor of the bonded pair is so depressed, they will stop eating and literally die of a broken heart.  Needless to say, when Maple arrived, she was depressed, extremely fearful of humans, and in need of lots of love and rehabilitation.  Fortunately, after Maple was rescued, it was discovered that she was pregnant.  This perhaps is the reason she didn't give up and she gave birth to healthy baby boy, Seth, in early 2024.

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But even with Seth's birth, Maple continued to struggle emotionally.  When fearful or unsure about their surroundings, donkeys typically freeze or act out until they feel at ease.  In the beginning, Maple was so petrified of humans, she would crumble to the ground when anyone approached her in a threatening matter.  So Seth became her security blanket and, for the first year of his life, she followed him wherever he went.  It took many months and countless hours of patience, kindness, and love for her to start coming out of her shell.  She is finally getting her confidence back and trusting some humans again.  Just recently, she has started allowing us to brush her and has begun initiating contact with us.  Nothing feels better than watching one of these lovely animals start to trust again.  She also loves walks but never wants to be far from Seth.

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If you would like to help Maple continue to blossom, please sponsor her and follow her on her journey.

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