Life was anything but easy for this tiny foal, after he was rejected by his own mother, shortly after birth. But fortunately, he was not alone. Surrounded by love and affection, the hopeless baby donkey overcome the tough situation and turned the odds into his favour, after finding a new loving mother!
Ben’s mother was already pregnant when she arrived at the Donkey Sanctuary in the UK. With only a couple of months left until she would have gave birth, the mare named Millie, was far from ready to be a mom. Unfortunately, despite the staff’s efforts to prepare her for what would have followed, it just wasn’t meant to be. And shortly after birth, she rejected her baby!
“The mare and her baby were not together or showing any signs of the bonding process that would normally take place,” the sanctuary wrote. “We carefully tried to encourage her to accept him, but this young and unexperienced mum simply did not want to let her foal near her – it was clear that she had rejected him.”
For a new born animal, the chances of survival are extremely slim without a mother and Be was nothing but the same. But the devoted people at the sanctuary tried their best to keep the tiny foal alive, and they eventually succeeded. They bottle fed him at 3-4 hours, and spend a lot of time with him, making him feel comfortable and loved. But even so, the tiny Ben was needing someone to be there for him every second, to keep him warm and protect him, and that only a mother can do.
Since his mom was off the table, the staff decided to introduce Ben to “auntie” Jingle, another mare at the sanctuary. To everyone’s surprise it didn’t take too long until the two became inseparable. Everyone involved was more than happy to see that Ben finally found a loving mother. After all he had been through, he really deserved it!
More about Ben’s inspiring story in the video below!