‘Smiling’ donkey rescued from floods

The animal, named Mike after the man who rescued him, was then caught up in the flood waters caused by the storm that battered Ireland over the weekend.

Suzzane Gibbons, founder of Animal Heaven Animal Rescue Ireland, said: “We got a call from the donkey’s owner at about 11.30am and immediately we set about trying to find somebody who could help save him”.

Representatives of the charity raced to the scene but without a boat to hand, they were stopped in their tracks and Mike remained up to his neck in it (literally).

This is moment a donkey gave rescuers a glorious smile after finally being rescued from a unsafe flood.

“But because the emergency services were all busy saving people, there wasn’t anybody about to help with our rescue, so I took to social media to beg for anybody with a boat”.

They managed to get hold of a small boat, and volunteers came down to help the stranded donkey.

As soon as they located Mike they put a buoyancy aid around him. There could be no other name.

Posting an update confirming the rescue of the animal, the centre wrote: “He is now dried with towels, eating a hot mash, all cozy and warm and our vet has seen him and started him on antibiotics to prevent pneumonia”. ‘He has a small bit of fluid in one lung but our vet said he will recover.

“We attached an orange life ring onto his body to help him stay afloat and towed him to the shore”.

Mike (the donkey) will now recover at AHAR before being brought back to his loving owners. “All he needs is loads of TLC”.