THE CENTER
Meet GarissaOUR CAUSE
The Hellenic Donkey Center is part of the Non-Profit Organisation “GAIDOUROHORA” (meaning Donkeysland), which was founded in 2014 and our actions include donkeys’ care and welfare, by improving their living and working conditions in Greece, caring for those animals in need and raising public awareness about their kind.
The Center maintains a licensed stable facility which can accommodate donkeys, after cases of abuse, abandonment or neglect or donkeys whose owners are unable to keep them.
Donkeys’ adoptions are also part of our actions, but only after a donkey has been physically and mentally healed. The Center educates and counsels people who intend to acquire a donkey, so that they can responsibly keep this animal. We also assists current owners towards any problems they may face, in order to keep their donkeys healthy and well taken care of.
All actions are supported by volunteers. Our main income derives from the Center’s activities and educational programs that take place in our stable and it is used for operating costs, food, medical expenses and maintenance, so that the animals receive the best possible care. We also organise events, we have started a virtual adoption program, we accept donations and our constantly exploring new fundraising strategies.
We never stop striving to achieve our goals. We strongly believe that donkeys are not tools that should be left helpless when they can’t be used anymore, but instead they are loving companions that can thrive when cared for.
We want to ensure that donkeys live by the “‘Five Freedoms’”, the basic rules of well-being, established by the World Organization for Animal Health and Welfare (OIE) for every living creature:
- freedom from hunger, malnutrition and thirst;
- freedom from fear and distress;
- freedom from heat stress or physical discomfort;
- freedom from pain, injury and disease; and
- freedom to express normal patterns of behaviour.
In order to achieve all of this, Hellenic Donkey Center advises and takes action wherever necessary.
Our Work
It is not rare to come across cases of outdated tactics where animals, and especially working animals such as donkeys, are treated like creatures without rights, without value, without needs. Not only are their basic rights being violated but they are being forced into “inhuman” living and working conditions, completely unsuitable for their species.
We take care of all incidents that come to our notice.
Whether it is a case of animal neglect or abuse, or in the case of owners who ask for our help because they do not know what they need, we respond as quickly and immediately as we can to make find the best practice. We cooperate with similar associations and organizations around Greece and abroad.
Meet Garissa!
She is our mascot. We created her so that your offer has a tangible return. It is a wooden, decorated donkey miniature, handmade by us with love. Offer it as an original and unique gift for your loved ones or get it as a keepsake of your contribution to our work.