Nightingales: For Some The Sun Came up further East that it had in a Century.

Do read the new, additional article and see HSUS video here: http://www.humanesociety.org/news/news/2011/09/donkey_flight_091611.html

If that's too much reading, just watch the under-two-minute video here:


I am indebted to  Waikoloa's Michale O'Brien and Randy Horne of Waimea for all the excellent photos. If it's not excellent, it's  mine.

Hence photos are COPYRIGHTED. If you love one of these I will trace back through the 20 or so steps it took me to move them to the blog and advise him how to contact you.  They would love you to have a photo for your publication, I'm sure. Email WaikoloaNightingale@gmail.com with your intended use, your contact information and I will let them know. 

Count the donkey ears waiting to board in Waiki'i Ranch. There are more!

Mark Meyers, PVDR. uses his Texas hat to encourage them along the chute.

Inga Gibson, HSUS, takes a blissful break from the same work. She had a little flag on the end of a bendable pole she used instead of a hat.

Mark Meyers, Amy Meyers, of Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, with Dr. Brady Bergin of Waimea.

Your Waikoloa Pizza Delivery Girl made sure to put out token gifts for volunteers so they would know the people of Waikoloa supported and loved them.

Donkey gently encouraged (by Inga) to go ahead and get on the trailer. 119 of them did. That is what the plane had room for. There were a couple other animals flying also, a goat and a horse. They were not flying at HSUS expense. There was the most beautiful goat I've ever seen (a Ram, a stud probably) and a lovely horse. Very well trained animals, both.

Aloha, Waiki'i.

Holo holo!

Some of the 10 trailers lined up at airport.

 

Late day sun gives golden glow to donkeys on a red trailer.

Waikoloa Nightingale transfers from trailer to container for shipping, first checking it out with careful testing. Donkeys are cautious and not prone to rash decisions. (Once the first donkey travels through a gate and doesn't disappear, others usually follow along. The surface is a soft one and there is bedding material so they can lie down if they like. 

Volunteers push container as it is loaded with donkeys then help pull it up onto the trailer platform for ride to plane

These are their homes for the trip. These are loaded two a trailer to be pulled in a connected train out to the plane. Picture precious cargo or luggage of he Prince of Wales being loaded onto a jet. Just like your baggage, but much nicer!! And then each container is secured to the plane cargo hold itself, for a smooth flight.

Bakersfield TV on the Donkeys' Safe Arrival in Tehatchpi

All the news coverage expanding. Not only the Los Angeles Times, but globally. I particularly like these back-to-back updates from TV KBAK, Bakersfield. It's really fun to watch, especially the second report where you can see OUR beloved Nightingales.
http://tinyurl.com/Donkeys-Arrive-in-Tehachapi
Earlier, I forgot to link this nice little article on the HSUS website. 
http://www.humanesociety.org/news/news/2011/09/donkey_flight_091611.html

Waikoloa Nightingale Adoptions Take to the Skies

Dr. Brady Bergin & Inga Gibson
Kona Airport, Plane in Background
Michael O'Brien photo

Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue now has 119 of our Waikoloa Nightingale;  they saw their first California sunrise Saturday morning! They are probably over their jet lag already, but I don't know if Dr. Brady Bergin is over his, after organizing and working the all-day effort to load the donkeys and caravan with them to the, and his lovely night spent at LAX awaiting his early morning flight back to the Island. 

The Big Island Video news was taped at the airport. Outstanding Job!

http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2011/09/17/video-over-100-waikoloa-donkeys-board-plane-for-california/

Hawaii News Now's report is their 5 PM version, so it has excellent footage and interviews of the clinic a few weeks ago, and an update. 

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/15484645/yes-its-true-donkeys-fly

KITV report that shows the flight taking off late yesterday afternoon.

http://www.kitv.com/video/29215326/detail.html

None of this would be possible without 

• Generous major donors especially Ugo Sap, who owns Eagle Eye Sanctuary Foundation for donkeys in Northern California, plus Wendy McCaw Foundation, the Pettus Crowe Foundation, and the West Hawaii Humane Society. 
• The Humane Society of the United States (especially Inga Gibson and Keith Dane) whose national team found the donors and created a fund just for our donkeys. 
Dr. Brady Bergin of Waimea, who organized EVERYTHING and donated all his professional expertise and services.



Mark and Amy Meyers of Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue and Dr. Brady Bergin of 

Waimea. Photo courtesy Randy C. Horne.

• Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, Mark and Amy Meyers.
Several people who fostered donkeys to make them more "adoptable" by newbies, including CB Horse Rescue and Gena Almaden. 
At least 50, hands-on volunteers, who have donated work, time, and gas and on-going use of their trailers.
Our rancher Stanley Bothello.
Tiffany Bergin (Dr. Bergin's wife) who has managed to have a baby (now 18 months!) and support this effort magnificently, both herself, and by giving us so much of Dr. Bergin's time. 
Dr. Bergin's entire staff, the "Donkey Coordinator," Liz Hendricks who volunteers directly for for Dr Bergin. 
Several local merchants who have given us discounts and free support (food!), including Les at Waikoloa Village Market, Solimene's Restaurant in Waimea, and Donkey Balls candy, Hawaiian Quilt Shop thanks to Mele Waikiki, and Hilo'sTanya Kearns of ManilaExtract.
All the people I left out!
More than 200 adoptions on our Island. (Just heard from a new "parent" yesterday)
Equine 808 which is now re-homing donkeys on Oahu!
And all the adopters in Hawaii that will still come forward, as there are plenty more donkeys to find new homes. And we sure need someone to help with creating a sanctuary right here. We've barely begun to work on that.

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.

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..)