A donkey who spent most of his life alone has found a new love in an animal sanctuary (stock image) (Image: Getty)
A donkey named Eeyore had a sad start to his life as he was kept isolated his entire life without anyone or anything to play with.
When his owner then died, he was moved to a farm sanctuary called Home for Hooves on Vancouver Island in where he was given a second chance in life with the new name Earl, and so far he seems to be finding joy in the simplest of things.
Michelle Singleton, the founder and CEO of the sanctuary, explained: “It has been very apparent that Earl was lonely, and that he’s been lonely his whole life without any herd mates.
“As i’m sure you know, are herd animals and companionship is vital for their mental health.”
She went on to say that he would cry every time any of the sanctuary staff walked away from him. Since Earl had never been around any other animals before, they kept him away from the rest of the animals so as to not startle him. However he’s now making friends with the other donkeys in the sanctuary.
: [ADVICE]
: [ANIMALS] [REVELATION] [TIP]
And one of the highlights for Earl hasn’t been the newfound attention, the love, or the new friendships he’s found in his new home. Instead he’s found love in a rubber ball.
In a video published to , Earl is seen playing with a yoga ball around in his inclosement, chasing it around and dragging it in his mouth while running around with his newfound energy.
He’s seen holding it in his mouth and moving his head in circles to make the ball move along with him before bouncing it up and down while moving along with it.
Sadly, the ball soon deflated, much to Earl’s dismay. Michelle said in a video of Earl playing: “Earl was devastated when his cherished ball deflated. Without it, he became the most sorrowful donkey you’d ever lay eyes on.
“Earl plays with his ball multiple times a day and has devoted countless hours to chasing it around.”
Viewers were quick to show their generosity and soon, the sanctuary received a large collection of yoga balls for Earl so he always has a back up for when the current one deflates form the amount of playing it endures.
“Thanks to the generosity of many, Earl now has an abundance of balls to enjoy!” Michelle wrote.
Taking to the comments of one video showing Earl playing with his favourite toy, several people expressed how happy they were for the donkey.
“Earl brings people so much joy playing with his ball!” one person wrote.
A second viewer said: “He is so cute! Why do they like those darn balls?? Wondering!” to which the sanctuary replied: “It could be for fun (like how dog play with a ball) or for mental stimulation. Earl loves his ball, for sure.”