Curioser and curioser--A strange cautionary tale and your chance to help!
UPDATE: Campaign Kicks Off to Save Donkey and Wolf!http://network.bestfriends.org/international/news/15640.htmlby Pamela Benbow, Best Friends NetworkOn May 9 or 10, images surfaced out of northern Albania so strange and haunting that they might be a scene from the Bible or a page from a fairy tale.
The images told a story that touched something deep in our psyches, and these sad and mysterious photos flew around the world. The pictures showed a shaggy, unkempt little donkey in a dirty cage and, peering out from beneath his head, a forlorn and frightened wolf.
As you see in the photo above, the wolf and the donkey lived together in one tiny enclosure.
How, we asked at computer screens around the world, did the animals come to this?
Well, here's the story: A wolf and a donkey have become an unlikely tourist attraction in the town of Patok, about 25 miles north of the Albanian capital, Tirana. Villagers, families with their children, and local and international media have flocked to Patok to see this very odd couple. And several of the children have voiced surprise at the sight--wolves have been given a bad rap in fairy tales!
The donkey was originally put into the enclosure so the wolf could eat him, but the wolf would have none of the human plan and refused to kill the donkey. The two animals have been attached at the hip ever since.
It's a strange tale of unmet expectations on the part of the owner, and an odd glimpse into a peaceable kingdom which members of our own species have forgotten at our peril.
The owner says that he is an animal lover (though like many people, one in need of humane education).
"I bought the wolf four months ago because I thought of creating a zoo... I like animals very much," he told reporters. The wolf had been caught by a mountaineer in the Northern Alps.
The owner says he feeds the wolf meat but was told that the wolf needed a live animal to hunt. So the man offered up the little donkey, thinking that the wolf would attack him during the night.
But the man was wrong. Instead, the two became companions. They ate their food and drank their water together, and whenever the owner took the donkey out of the enclosure, the wolf would become upset.
As of May 19, the donkey is no longer caged.
In the last few days, the donkey has been released into a grassy area outside.
Now the wolf sits alone, still in the far corner of the enclosure, while the donkey lives freely on the other side of the wall.
Grassroots effort by advocates around the worldThe other amazing chapter of this story is the animal advocates from around the world who are working together night and day to achieve a good outcome for these animals. Already they have found a sanctuary in Italy willing to pay for transportation and take in the animals. Whether this place will be suitable for the wolf remains to be seen, as he clearly needs to live at a wildlife sanctuary. But it's an example of the offers of help.
"The problem has been getting someone inside Albania to act and help," says one of the leading cyber-activists working to free the animals.
"The wall of silence that I have come up against in Albania is making it difficult for us to progress," writes the creator of the petition, herself a long-time animal advocate.
But that was a few days ago, and things are looking up. Advocates work round the clock contacting animal organizations, vets, and other willing activists all over the world.
"Someone forwarded my email to a vet in Albania," says one of the major players in the effort. "He sent me a message saying that he is doing all he can to help and will let me know if the outcome is positive." She is waiting to hear back from the Albanian vet as this story is posted.
Most of these grassroots advocates shy away from publicity and want only to help the donkey and the wolf. But they are also active for the animals in their own neighborhoods. One of the activists runs her own animal organization, Cornwall's Voice for Animals, in the UK. Another of the hard workers, who lives near London, has a family which includes three rescue dogs and five cats, mostly rescues too.
"I first heard about the wolf and donkey through a blog posted by a friend on MySpace," the latter says. "Both animals stole my heart, and I was determined to try to help them."
"Thank you so much for spreading the word," this British advocate adds. "The more people who know the better. We need all the help we can get to help these animals who have stolen the hearts of many people around the world. It is absolutely wonderful that so many want to help!"
And best of all, the advocates have had offers from people who wish to provide sanctuary for the donkey and the wolf.
"Two places have offered to take them both," says the founder of Cornwall's Voice for Animals.
From Italy, there is mention of a wolf sanctuary--and a separate home, with the rescuer, for the donkey; and there's also talk of a sanctuary in Hungary which houses rescued animals, both wild (wolves, bears, and other wildlife) and domesticated.
These cyber-advocates are determined to find the kinds of homes that will be the best for these two animals. We promise to keep you posted.
Many new friends are being made these days in the worldwide animal community, and we've got a pretty odd couple to thank for that network!
"And the wolf shall dwell with the donkey...and do their little part to change the world."
Photos courtesy of Enderi Haxhiraj Wolf and donkey after the donkey was moved outside the enclosure
How You Can HelpA
Yahoo! Group has been formed specifically to deal with this situation. It is fast-moving, fascinating, and full of ways to help. Please take this seriously and consider joining this group. Become an advocate for this wolf and donkey today!
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/animal_rescue/1)
Sign this petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/1712708342) Use this
easy comment box: Ask President Moisiu of Albania to intervene for the release of these animals and their transfer to wildlife and animal sanctuaries.
http://www.president.al/english/pub/kontakt.asp3)
Email the Prime Minister of Albania, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha
info@km.gov.al kryeministri@km.gov.al Email the Environment Ministry
info@moe.gov.al Email Ministry of Education and Science
webmaster@mash.gov.al Email Parliament of Albania
competitionsecretariat@parlament.al ricardmarku@parlament.al Email Transborder Wildlife
Note: I am trying to find a valid email address for this group. If you have a suggestion, please leave it in the Comments section. Thanks! TRANSBORDER WILDLIFE
Region: Eastern Europe and CIS
Country: Albania
Contact Details:
(Natyra Ndërkufitare)
Rruga Pandeli Cale Nr. 26
Korca
Tel. (00355) 82 44346
Fax (00355) 82 43037
Contact: Mr. Stavri Pllaha – Director
You can check out the story on many internet websites like Reuters AlertNet and Sky News:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,70131-1265159,00.htmlhttp://www.alertnet.org/thenews/pictures/TIR01D.htm