Scott Travis posted: "Raise your hand if you already know about a Hopland ranch called Oscar's, a big resort set aside for the sole enjoyment of its only occupants, donkeys. Donkeys in Hopland? Not just a few donkeys, but donkeys by the score, all calling Oscar's home. That" The Ukiah Daily Journal
Raise your hand if you already know about a Hopland ranch called Oscar's, a big resort set aside for the sole enjoyment of its only occupants, donkeys.
Donkeys in Hopland? Not just a few donkeys, but donkeys by the score, all calling Oscar's home. That's a real good thing because without Oscar's the donkeys would have nowhere else to go.
It's a donkey rescue operation, and about 140 of the friendly, gentle, appreciative beasts are enjoying home sweet home on the Hopland range. It got started in 2020, and owes its name to a (deceased) cat named Oscar who belonged to Phil Selway, co-founder and chair of the organization.
Goldie at 6 weeks old.
Thus Oscar's, a donkey orphanage with pens, dormitory-style stalls, feeding areas and so many donkeys it all seems somewhat unreal. You can't look anywhere without seeing good-natured donkeys, and if one spots you gazing there's a good chance it will begin the slow meander over to stand at your side and get to know you a little better.
Getting acquainted with a donkey is surprisingly easy, and in fact about 75% of your job is done. You're already standing right next to a donkey, lucky you, so it's time to get busy doing what donkeys love: scratch their ample rumps, fondle their tall soft ears, and talk to them.
Congratulations. You are now a journeyman donkey apprentice, and you can prove it by hanging a (self-printed) certificate on your office wall, or above the mantel.
Oscar's is a marvelous organization doing the hard work of saving what remains of a dwindling world donkey population. It's among several donkey sanctuaries scattered about the country, and more across the world.
Some of its residents are "voluntary surrenders" as in, for instance, left in the barn when a caretaker dies. Other donkeys come from bleaker backgrounds that may include neglect, abuse, being overworked and other scenarios we shan't contemplate.
Some of these donkeys and many others arrive at an auction yard in Bowie, Texas. Some are saved by places like Oscar's. The others go to slaughterhouses in Mexico, where their value comes solely from the insatiable demand in China for a gel called "ejiao" extracted from donkey hides.
You're right. That seems a heavy price to pay, given that the remaining 99% of the donkey is discarded. Must be killer gel.
So for lots of donkeys it's Oscar's or nothing, at least until some lab comes up with a generic version of ejiao made from hemp.
I'm visiting Rancho d'Oscar on a hot August day, accompanied by my host and old friend Jim Mastin, a veteran volunteer and font of impressive information about the world of donkeys. He tells me donkeys love hot weather, and bond with other donkeys to the point if you want to adopt Donkey A, you've also got to take his pal, Donkey B. Donkeys may get depressed when their lovable old owner disappears, or when their baby donkey dies.
As we make our way among the yards and barns, the rich aromas of scattered hay and donkey dung play with nostalgia-loaded visits to farms in our past.
The residents recognize Jim, he knows their names, and for him it's rather like meeting a friend on a street corner, but with extra nuzzling, soft nibbling and an occasional braying honk. It's easy to make friends here.
I spend five or ten minutes with Baby, a small, affectionate black donkey who then trails along behind me for a few minutes, which isn't unusual. (Other donkeys sometimes endure a few friendly strokes, then amble off.)
From a bluff overlooking one of several expansive, fenced areas we see donkeys lolling about a few acres dotted by shade-bearing trees and graced by ponds.
This is where elderly donkeys get put out to pasture, so to speak, and they seem right comfy being here. It's hot, dry and filled with seniors, like Palm Springs but without all the fancy restaurants and golf courses.
The Oscar donkey organization is kept thriving with volunteers, of which there are about 100, and donations, of which there are never enough.
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