Cretan Animal Welfare Group

by Diana Hermans (founder of Cretan Donkey Care – Ezelopvang Kreta)

Wow!…now you can find us in the Dutch ‘Griekenland Magazine’!

We are, of course very happy with that, because not only is it advertising our foundation Cretan Donkey Care but also our beautiful and very necessary outreach project, organized by the Cretan Animal Welfare Group. However, the best of all is that, finally there is attention given for the situation of the donkeys on Crete.

On Crete, as in the rest of Greece, donkeys are still used by the elderly citizens as their transport and to help them work the land. This is why this Outreach Project is so very necessary. Cretan Donkey Care helps and supports with this, both financially and physically. When you dedicate yourself to raising funds for this great project, isn’t it logical that you also want to physically experience it?

To date we have already done so twice and we have been very busy preparing for our next fast approaching April visit.  We are now all ready to start our 3rd outreach! We can hardly wait to go around all week from early in the morning until late at night, to be able to help as many equines and their owners as possible, providing them with our free ‘service’.

There will be many beautiful and good experiences but, of course we will, unfortunately also see some other things…….

Our experience has shown that this ‘animal abuse’ is usually caused by ignorance on the part of the owners, but also by the impossibility to provide the right care. It is often the case that the right care is not available on the island or that financially it is just not feasible. We therefore try to provide the owners with information and simple tips to make it possible for them to provide a better future for their donkey themselves.

We do this with patience, but most of all with respect for both humans and animals. We are, after all, visitors on their beautiful island and should therefore treat these proud Cretan people and their habits and customs with respect. If we foreigners want to ‘teach’ them something then this requires a tactful approach in order to build up their trust and a good working relationship.

For almost 10 years now, Cretan Animal Welfare Group has been helping equines on Crete, originally working with national and international societies but now progressing to working with Cretan Donkey Care on our own Equine Outreach Project. Last year, 2009 we traveled twice, Spring and Autumn to more remote villages to provide our specialist service. After an equine’s first ‘service’ it usually requires less time on subsequent visits and their satisfied owner spreads the word of the free ‘service’ by mouth, which means that each time we can see and help more animals.

That is the start of a better future for the many working donkeys still on Crete! And that is what we are aiming for…. Please help us to continue our work………every little helps ….. and the donkeys, their owners and ourselves are all very grateful.

Are you interested in our story, the glossy magazine is now available in Dutch and Belgium bookstores and supermarkets!!

Filed under: Equines Tagged: | Equines, Individual initiatives, News