Cruel children beat this baby donkey until he was at death's door.

Imagine being a terrified baby donkey, ripped away from your mother’s side and dumped alone in a field of stones and sand in scorching heat, only to be mercilessly beaten by children and left to die.

This is exactly what happened to Sunday, an abandoned, four-month-old donkey foal who was found at death’s door in the West Bank, just north of Jerusalem.

Cold-hearted children spent hours abusing this donkey foal, mercilessly attacking him until he was nearly dead.

Tragically, in the Middle East, foals like Sunday are often ruthlessly discarded because they “distract” their mothers from working and lack the strength to serve as beasts of burden themselves. Often, they are killed or deserted to die of exposure and starvation. 

Many local people do not see donkeys as gentle creatures who suffer and feel pain, but as tools to be used until they drop. They are often terribly abused, starved, whipped, beaten, stabbed, stoned and forced to carry heavy loads on their backs, until they collapse from exhaustion.

This tragic little soul was discovered by a 12-year-old girl who saw the children torture him to the point of collapse. She bravely chased them away and tried to help the animal herself, but Sunday was so badly injured that he could not stand up. Judging from his wounds, his abusers had tormented him for hours on end. 

Luckily, the young girl knew to call our partner, Starting Over Sanctuary (SOS), which quickly dispatched a rescue team. 

It is heartbreaking to think of the terror poor little Sunday must have felt as he lay injured and baking under a blistering sun, unable to move due to his unbearable pain.

SOS rushed Sunday to its sanctuary for emergency medical attention and discovered that he was suffering from extensive injuries to his pelvis and hind legs, as well as extreme malnutrition and dehydration. This defenseless donkey was so weak when he was rescued that he had to be carried to safety, his tiny legs buckling beneath him. 

Sunday’s recovery will be slow, painful and extremely costly. He currently weighs only 66lb (30kg), half the healthy weight of 132lb (60kg) for a foal of his age.

To regain his strength, Sunday needs high-nutrition supplemental feeding and intensive physical therapy, regular blood tests, antibiotics and pain relievers so that he can eventually walk on his own.

SOS currently cares for 900 donkeys, many rescued from dangerous war zones and deplorable abuse across the Middle East.

Our team is already facing skyrocketing costs for food and medical care. With an attack from Iran and Hezbollah seeming more and more likely by the day, the situation is becoming even more serious, and we MUST be ready. 

We desperately need YOUR help to save little Sunday’s life before more injured, traumatized donkeys pour into the shelter as this terrible war intensifies. 

Sunday’s health problems are extremely serious and demand emergency care as soon as possible. 

Together, we can give Sunday the care and love he desperately needs to survive after his awful and traumatic start to life. Please help us give him this chance by donating generously today!

For the animals,

Gloria Davies (and Max and Flora!)
CEO and Founder
Network for Animals

P.S. With your help, Sunday will live, but he will need intensive care and specialized food if he is to survive. With worsening violence threatening to flood our partner with even more desperate, injured animals, we must act as soon as possible to save Sunday’s life before our team is overwhelmed. Please help him by making an emergency donation today – your generosity could be life-saving for poor little Sunday.

Banner credit: SOS