The Donkey Sanctuary has paid tribute to a much-loved resident, Hannah, has passed away aged 25.

Hannah arrived into the care of The Donkey Sanctuary Manchester in 2003, where she took part in Donkey-Assisted Activities, helping people develop key life skills, such as self-awareness, communication, empathy and emotion management. During her time at Manchester, she joined the charity’s adoption scheme.

In 2015, she moved to the Devon base, alongside fellow adoption donkey Cocoa. While at Sidmouth, she made established a close connection with Drizzle, one of her Shelter One herd mates.

Hannah recently experienced a sudden bout of acute colic, and deteriorated rapidly. Grooms noticed that she wasn’t eating and didn’t want to join in with the rest of her herd, and vet teams assessed Hannah’s condition.

The team discussed the best course of action and with Hannah’s age and the pain she was in, it was decided that the kindest course of action was to put her to sleep.

“Hannah was a friendly, delightful lady who stole the hearts of her grooms,” said Maxine Carter, Farm Manager at The Donkey Sanctuary Sidmouth. “She was a really adorable character and absolutely loved her cuddles.

“She enjoyed a really happy life, and was always surrounded by friends and loved by visitors. Shelter One won’t be the same without her, and everyone will miss her dearly.”

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