Socks appeal gathers legs to protect Italian sanctuary donkeys
By Jill Dando News
An appeal for a unique donation by The Donkey Sanctuary’s Italian base has gone viral after being shared across social media platforms in Italy.
To help protect their donkeys' legs from biting insects during the summer, Fundraising Officer, Ilaria Ruzza, took to social media asking for supporters to send them in socks.
Ilaria explained: “We needed long socks. It didn't matter if they were new or used as long as they were clean, in good condition and were black (or grey) and white over the knee socks.” Research has shown that flies are repelled by striped patterns in a more efficient way than plain colours.
The response was fantastic. Engagement on social media soared and in only a week the post had reached 90,000 people, resulting in 180 pairs of socks being sent in.
Generous supporters also donated more than €600 during the sock appeal to help support the sanctuary, which is located around 50 kilometres northeast of Turin.
Ilaria and her colleagues also shared photos of their donkeys sporting their eye-catching new socks, much to the delight of supporters, and thanked them for their generosity and kindness. “By using social media we were able to reach our supporters across the country really quickly.” Ilaria said. “We were also able to share our mission of protecting donkeys and promoting their welfare in Italy to an entirely new audience of potential supporters, thanks in part to the post being shared and ‘liked’ so much.”
Il Rifugio degli Asinelli, the Italian arm of UK-based international animal welfare charity The Donkey Sanctuary, is home to over 100 donkeys and is set amid the beautiful landscape of the Biellesi Prealps in Northern Italy.
Now, thanks to the generosity of supporters, the resident herd can look forward to a more relaxing autumn, safe in the knowledge their stylish new legwear will help keeping biting insects at bay.
And it’s not just on the European mainland that such measures have taken place. It is often thought that all the best fashions begin in Italy, so it’s no wonder a few donkeys closer to home have also been spotted wearing patterned leggings.
Over the summer months grooms at The Donkey Sanctuary in Devon fitted a few of the herd with leggings in an attempt to combat the irritation of biting insects, and despite the arrival of September, some of the UK donkeys are still having to contend with the buzzing arthropods.
But now, with the help of sanctuary volunteers, staff are in the process of designing leggings that can be attached to their fly rugs, Meaning the donkeys who are more susceptible to the seasonal insect irritation will have total fly protection, something that will no doubt be welcomed by the resident herds.
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