SMB College Group introduces new donkeys with the help of The Donkey Sanctuary!

SMB College Group’s have welcomed two new arrivals from The Donkey Sanctuary to their Brooksby Campus in Leicestershire!

The mother and son pair, May and Max, are some of the newest residents at the college’s Animal Studies Centre, where they will help the students to build confidence with handling larger animals. The Donkey Sanctuary specifically helped the College to find donkeys who are calm and placid, so that they are well-suited to working with students.

Students will learn how to health check and groom Max and May, pick out their hooves and lead them around campus. This will also give the donkeys mental stimulation, and they will get the opportunity to browse on their walks.

In addition, students will be educated in reading the body language of the donkeys – learning how to work safely and calmly around them – as well as providing correct nutrition, enrichment and healthcare.

Catherine Burniston, Animal Studies Facilities Supervisor at SMB College Group’s Brooksby Campus, said ‘As Max and May previously lived in a similar environment, they have settled in very well at the college! They enjoy watching the alpacas and goats, and are interacting well with staff and students. The minibuses coming and going past their paddock have not phased them in the slightest and they even tolerate the college’s resident cats, Pallas and Panther, who can often be seen walking along the fence line around their paddocks!

‘They have been given a calm and quiet few weeks initially, to be allowed to settle in and bond with myself and our Animal Care Technicians. Julie Crane, Donkey Welfare Advisor from the Sanctuary, recently undertook a routine visit and was very pleased with their progress. We’re looking forward to allowing our students to start working with them more over the next couple of weeks.’

Donkey Welfare Adviser Julie Crane added ‘I’m delighted that Max and May have found a new home, not just where they will receive plenty of love and care, but where they will assist the next generation of animal care practitioners.

‘The hands-on care experience that Max and May will offer the students is invaluable, and I’m sure these wonderful donkeys will enjoy these interactions just as much as the classes they are involved with.

‘Max and May’s rehoming has been a big success. We are so grateful to their new Donkey Guardians at SMB College Group, and to the many others around the UK who show amazing dedication and commitment every day.’

Animal Studies is taught at SMB College Group’s 850-acre Brooksby Campus, which is a specialist LANDEX campus offering a wide range of courses in the land-based industries and beyond, from Agriculture to Equine studies to Countryside Management and much more.

If you’re interested in studying Animal Management at SMB College Group’s Brooksby Campus, come along to one of our Brooksby Open Days in the Autumn academic year!