A herd of rescue donkeys in Wales have created an ideal habitat for species of rare mushrooms, flowers and insects, after they helped to transform the overgrown, rough grazing where they live into an Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Residents at Snowdonia Donkeys, a sanctuary located at Moelyci near Bangor, have been instrumental in the development of 54 species of rare mushrooms, including the Crimson Waxcap, and three species of plant-eating flowers which have begun growing on the land where they live.
Also found in their pasture were a fly and a beetle found nowhere else in Wales, as well as lizards, bats, three species of butterflies and yellow ants.
The charity’s founders Ruth and Chris Stronge bought the 13-acre plot of land, which had previously been used as a rubbish dump, as a home for the donkeys in 2019.
Perfect pasture
“The land here was very poor and only fit for rough grazing and for use as a rubbish dump so it hasn’t been ploughed for over 200 years which makes it ideal for the Waxcap mushrooms and for many other species,” explained Ruth.
The land was extremely overgrown but the donkeys, with help from some of the charity’s volunteers, have cleared the site of brambles and bushes and transformed it into the perfect habitat for the mushrooms as well as the other rare flora, fauna and insects.
The pasture was recently granted SSSI status with its SSSI citation stating, “parts of Moelyci are a living museum of what Welsh hill farms were like before the Second World War.”
New arrival
A 40-foot storage unit will be added to the site later this month as Wales’s biggest self-storage company, Lock Stock, donate one of their units to the charity to use as a shelter for the donkeys as well as a store.
“As a business, we like to help out local charities in the areas where we work and we have a strong presence in Bangor where we have three sites and this is definitely a very deserving cause which is doing so much good work,” said Lee Hanson, Lock Stock’s North West Wales area manager.
Snowdonia Donkeys is a centre of excellence for the promotion of the health and well-being of people and donkeys and currently looks after 18 donkeys. As well as being a refuge for donkeys, the charity also offers a safe space for children and adults to escape their worries and work with the donkeys to build their confidence.
The charity runs a series of events throughout the week helped by the volunteers, ranging from mother and toddler groups, classes in donkey care, classes for people with learning difficulties and walkers who just want to enjoy the countryside.
A local option
“I’ve always loved donkeys and we started with two of our own which we used to take to events to raise money for the big donkey sanctuary down in Sidmouth in Devon,” said Ruth.
“Then we heard that two of the beach donkeys from Llandudno were retiring to go all the way down there and we just thought that they could have stayed in North Wales so we started the charity 12 years ago and it’s just grown.
“People might be a bit afraid of being around horses but they tend not to be so afraid of donkeys which are wonderful animals in their own right.”
Images and video © Snowdonia Donkeys.
