When Ron King opened a donkey sanctuary in Mendocino County, he had no idea he’d be running a maternity ward and working on a reality television show about rescued donkeys.
In the past year, King and his small crew at the rescue and rehome non-profit, Oscar’s Place, have delivered 14 foals with three more coming soon.
It’s the mares that do the hard part, King says, going through a 14-month pregnancy before delivering foals that can weigh up to 30 pounds at birth.
“They are such good moms,” King says. “Their maternal instincts are amazing. They stand over their babies to provide shade from the sun, and when they wake up from a nap and start braying because they’re hungry, the moms know their babies and bray back to hold on, they’re coming to feed them. They are just incredible moms.”
The mares, rescued from slaughter houses, all arrived at the sanctuary already pregnant.
King, who once had front row seats at Europe’s most prestigious fashion shows and jetted around the globe overseeing a handful of magazines, including InStyle, Essence and Sunset, has of late found himself happy in the company of rescued donkeys.
The improbable career change came after he left his 20-year career in publishing and was taking a break before starting a new adventure. His longtime friend, prominent Los Angeles art dealer and philanthropist Phil Selway, asked King to help him sell a property in Hopland. Selway had wanted to open an animal sanctuary on the grounds, but the idea had withered on the vine, and Selway was looking to sell.
It was then King read a story about donkeys being sold for slaughter and watched a TikTok by a woman who rescues donkeys but had no place to keep them. King, acting on instinct, contacted the woman and told her: “I’ve got a place. Will you send me your donkeys?”
Almost two years later, Oscar’s Place has welcomed 140 donkeys and found new homes for 51. King maintains a strict adoption policy — no donkey leaves the sanctuary without a donkey buddy either accompanying the animal or waiting at a new home. Bonded pairs must be adopted together, and mothers and babies are never separated.
Potential adopters are carefully screened and must complete an extensive questionnaire as well as visit the remote sanctuary at least twice and agree to a home inspection. They also must promise never to ride them and to always give them love and care. If it doesn’t work out, they can bring them back, no questions asked. Adoption fees are $1,000 for one donkey, $1,800 for a pair.
After the donkeys are born, King says, they spend the first 24 hours in a stall with their mom while the sanctuary staff work to start their donkey lives off on the best foot forward. Every few hours, the crew taps the bottom of the foals’ feet, takes rectal temperatures, runs fingers over their gums and cuddles them.
Those first few hours set the agenda for the rest of their lives, King says. By tapping their feet, they’ll become accustomed to having their hooves trimmed. They’ll accept having their temperatures taken and their teeth cleaned and cared for, and the human interaction will make them more willing to accept their human companions.
The new foals couldn’t be any cuter, King says. Some think they’re lap donkeys, he says, looking for cuddles with the humans at the sanctuary. They also work off their youthful energy by frolicking among the more stoic mother donkeys.
In addition to the baby boom, Oscar’s Place has created a Donkey Village to house owner-surrendered donkeys until they can be integrated with the rest of the herd. The surrendered donkeys are isolated for 60 days to ensure they’re healthy.
A pilot for a reality show, which possibly will be called “The Donkey King,” has been filmed and could result in a 10 episode season. Details still are being worked out, but King says his goal is to create a show that “spreads joy and makes the world a better place.”
“We want to tell a human story,” King says, “an adoption story and a donkey story.”
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