A week-old orphaned donkey foal has been given a forever home with The Donkey Sanctuary.

The male foal, whose mother died shortly after giving birth was taken to The Donkey Sanctuary by its owner, who wanted to give it the best start in life.

The foal is receiving round-the-clock care by staff at the charity’s new arrivals unit in Sidmouth. Despite his distressing start in life, he appears healthy and is feeding well on a supplemented diet.

Hannah Bryer, head of welfare at the sanctuary, said: “Saying goodbye to our much-loved pets at the right time should never be regarded as a failure. I often admire the courage of owners who put the welfare of their donkeys first, even in the most difficult of circumstances, so when this owner reached out to us, we acted swiftly to make arrangements to bring the foal into our care.”

The Donkey Sanctuary will care for the foal and when he is big enough, he will join the resident herd.