Donkey rescue spurs Bertram couple
BERTRAM — Donkeys facing miserable conditions that threaten their survival have found friends in a Bertram couple dedicated to rescuing the animals.
Charles Munro and his wife Denise Martin have saved nine abused, abandoned or neglected donkeys so far.
“We are always looking for more,” Munro said.
PHOTO 1: Denise Martin watches as her husband Charles Munro feeds Jack, one of the couple’s rescued donkeys, at their Bertram home. Jenny, another rescued donkey, looks on. Staff photo by Raymond V. Whelan
Three of the donkeys have found a temporary home at the couple’s property on Lakeshore Road. The other six are sheltered in Liberty Hill by a woman who wishes to remain anonymous, Munro said.
“Basically, we take them in for awhile until we find homes for them,” he added. “These guys helped build our country. They are really wonderful, wonderful animals.”
Munro, an Austin-based home designer and former Burnet County jail officer, recently founded Texas Donkey Rescue to help forlorn donkeys survive.
Munro started his organization soon after a Burnet County sheriff’s deputy brought him a 19-year-old donkey that was going to be put down.
He named the snow-colored animal Burnet.
“He was going to be euthanized, just because somebody didn’t want him,” Munro said. “He had flies covering open sores around his eyes. All it took was some ointment and one $15 mask to solve the problem.”
He has also received lost donkeys from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, Munro said.
“The Sheriff’s Office is sort of the last stop for them, before they get shot,” Martin said.
Rescued donkeys are well-suited to assist humans as livestock guards or as therapeutic helpers. Also, the animals are excellent trail-ride companions, Munro said.
Like horses, donkeys eat lots of hay, as well as apples or carrots, he added.
“They love attention,” Munro said. “Normally, their temperament is calm and friendly. As long as they feel safe, they’re fine. They are far less skittish than horses.”
However, irresponsible breeding has caused many Texas landowners to abandon hundreds of donkeys, he added.
“They are prolific breeders,” Munro said. “That is part of the problem.”
And, when the animals become homeless, they often die of starvation.
Or, humans destroy them.
There are hundreds of donkeys in Texas without homes, Munro said.
“That is probably a low figure,” he added. “There are very few organizations out there to help them.”
During upcoming months, he hopes to help the California-based Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue group save homeless donkeys near Big Bend Ranch State Park.
“Their native habitat is desert or high mountains,” Munro said. “But in West Texas, they are shooting donkeys out there, and they just let them die.”
His organization has received financial support from local residents, also from donors in California, Wisconsin, Canada and even France, Munro said.
In the future, he hopes to find corporate sponsors, and hopefully, the IRS will allow tax-deductible donations for his organization, Munro added.
“It is a slow process,” Martin said. “But it is rewarding. All animals need to be saved.”
Visit www.texasdonkeyrescue.org to donate or find more information.
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