A donkey sanctuary in Koropi, southeast of Athens, aims to inform the public about donkeys.

Though these animals are intrinsically linked to Greek village living, culture and tourism, they are little understood.

Gaidourohora – Land of the Donkey – currently hosts 16 donkeys in barns, with open spaces for them to run and play. The sanctuary, run by Tatiana Papamoschou and Dimitris Stoupakis, provides funds for the Hellenic Donkey Centre which cares for donkeys after physical abuse or when their owners can no longer look after them while also providing opportunities for adoption and training.

At the moment there are a few other donkey sanctuaries in Greece, including one in Trikala, which cannot accept any more animals, two in Crete, and one in Corfu.

Gaidourohora is the only one to provide training to current and future owners on how to treat donkeys and work with them while also providing rehabilitation to hurt animals.

Deploring the lack of protection laws for equines in Greece, Ms Papamoschou told the Athens Macedonian News Agency that donkey necessities include “space, free movement, protection from some weather conditions, friends of its kind, and things to keep its mind busy.” She compares horses to donkeys, pointing out that “the donkey is a desert animal, and it had to reserve energy. It didn’t have the luxury of running for no reason, like a horse that always had food and water and didn’t care about reserving energy. The horse ran on the plains, but the donkey lived in deserts, and rocky and arid lands, that’s why it’s always thinking before it acts. This has led to the conclusion that it’s a ‘stubborn’ animal – but it’s not stubborn, it has a highly developed critical sense.”

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“Donkeys teach us how a group works, and this is a very good lesson for us as well,” she notes.

Donkeys are ideal for working with children in need of therapy, and that is another service which the centre provides. “Donkeys are extremely tender, communicative and playful animals. When they are not abused, they develop a very tender relationship with a person – they are a lot more interactive than horse are,” Ms Papamoschou said.

But Papamoschou said that riding donkeys is only allowed for children who need therapy, for example if a therapist recommends that the child learn how to balance. The centre provides outpatient sessions, individually or in groups, with specialists, and can include several sessions.

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For the general public, they provide donkey trekking at Gaidourochora, where a person is assigned a donkey, which carries lunch, and there is a group outing to nature. “A donkey should never carry more than 20 per cent its own weight,” Ms Papamoschou said.

The centre reopened after coronavirus restrictions, and is accepting visitors again.