Saturday, July 23, 2011

New! How Waikoloa Village Can Help Support the Donkeys!

We have a wonderful opportunity to malama the Waikoloa Nightingales from our homes here in Waikoloa. No need to adopt, send large donations, donate or provide vast acreage,

We need individuals to donate food and drinks for lunch for the USHS-assisted donkey clinic on August Saturday, August 27 and Monday, August 29th. Click How to Help Page for all the details! There also a link to it near the upper right corner of this page. A driver and a few other things are useful! If you can't click the link, email waikoloanightingale@gmail.com for details. I can call you back if you include your phone number in your email.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Donkeys can Fly!

Thanks to Keahi Tucker for that line on KHNL News! The news video is in upper right corner. Teri Okita's well written story is printed, also. She did some wonderful telephone interviews.

We are almost ready to begin sending some of the Waikoloa Nightingales to a new home at a premier rescue facility, Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, in California. Eager adopters are being lined up there, already. They will all be allowed to live out their full lives.

Transportation of the highest quality is to be provided by Pacific Airlift, compliments of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). The donkeys are flying to Southern California the same way a Thoroughbred horse and our finest live Kohala cattle go: with appropriate medical screening and care, a good shower, documentation, a ton of paperwork and under optimal shipping condition. They will be treated like First Class Passengers and will have a smoother trip than most of us do, what with the valet service at departure and arrival, donkey experts flying along with them to monitor them, and free gourmet meals. OK, no gourmet meals, I was making that part up. 

We continue to adopt out donkeys here in Hawai'i, so don't worry about that stopping. And we still have the goal of a donkey preserve so we can manage the herd and control it's growth.

This is thrilling news and a major milestone.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

HSUS Vets are coming! August 26 - 29, 2011

The wonderful news that the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is sending over a team of professionals from their HSUS Medical Associates, donkey experts all, was shared with us recently! August 26th through the 29th are scheduled. They will assist Dr. Brady Bergin, his assistants, and all the local Donkey Heroes in a big castration clinic. They will also do testing of animals that will be shipped out of Hawaii to check for Donkey diseases, and "chipping" of the donkeys with their individual information. (A microchip is implanted just under their skin,  just like pets with loving owners, so they can be identified if found.) Dr. Bergin is talking to the California State Veterinarian to find out all the information requirements that must be met.

Another big need was met earlier, when a generous donor loaned Dr. Bergin use of some near-by land with plenty of food and water to hold the donkeys. Dr. Bergin and his  has already moved 101 Nightingales there. This is the number we currently are going to have homes for in September.

With the miltiple sightings of 100+ Nightingales around the Waikoloa Road 10 mile marker  collecting still more is no problem, They probably aren't the only ones still out there. We'll have to see what's up with a fly over, or simply seeing more. Which does happen. (I love it when you let me know these things, so be sure and just say "Hi! And give me your scoops at waikoloanightingale@gmail.com..)