This is a story that had a tragic beginning. Haim the donkey spent most of his life tied up to barbed wire fences behind his owner's home, being the subject of abuse by local children. That kind of cruelty left the donkey's legs hairless and bald with sores and cuts, giving flies easy access to his tender skin.
Luckily, this story takes a happy turn, as he was rescued by the Zoological Center of Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan Safari, the largest animal sanctuary in the Middle East and home to 1,600 animals of different species.
Haim began a long rehabilitation process, gradually learning to trust his caretakers and even overcoming his fear of children.
However, his physical wounds are taking longer to heal. His lower legs, where he was bound, had the fur rubbed off, and flies would bite his raw skin, which caused Haim to bite and scratch his legs, leaving sores and cuts that in turn attracted more flies. The donkey was caught in a painful cycle.
Staff at first tried using socks to keep Haim from scratching his wounds, but the tape to keep them up was irritating him.
Two caretakers, Becca Rivkin and Shira Inbar-Danin, came up with a solution. They spent four hours stitching a special pair of pants for the donkey that are held up by suspenders over his shoulders. The pants are double-layered, with a soft stretchy material on the inside, covered by a rougher baggy material that flies can't bite through. The two women would also rub cream on his legs every day.
Rivkin and Inbar-Danin are now working on creating a second pair of trousers for Haim's back legs, since the first pair has proved successful and his hair will be able to grow back nicely.
As his skin is protected his fur is growing back quickly and soon he'll be able to wander around naked and free again. He's also recovering from psychological traumas.
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