Bon Bini

The donkeys and the staff of Donkey Sanctuary ECO park welcomes you.

When you visit the beautiful island of Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean, stop by and meet the wonderful donkeys living in our sanctuary. The ancestors of these animals were originally brought to the island as beasts of burden and to work in the great salt pans that form almost one quarter of Bonaire land mass. When machinery replaced the donkeys, they were set free to fend for themselves.

So let us tell you something about our foundation. The Donkey Help Foundation built the sanctuary. Profit is not our aim. Our sole concern is the improvement of the bad living conditions of the almost 500 donkeys on Bonaire. During the last wild donkey survey on island, conducted from September 2003 to September 2004, we found 211 donkeys on the road and brought them to our Sanctuary. At this moment (September, 2008) we have over 400 donkeys in our care. Baby donkeys that have lost their mothers are raised in the safety of the sanctuary. The sanctuary staff also provides emergency care for donkeys injured by cars and on-going medical needs of the entire population of the sanctuary.

The Island Government has been so kind as to lease us 16 hectares of land at a very reasonable price. Additional, our foundation owns another 80 hectares (200 acres) purchased from a family in Curaçao.

The buildings and facilities you find in the park are the work of dedicated volunteers (click here for directions and a map). The donkeys in the park each have their own story, but all have found badly needed refuge here. DONKEY SANCTUARY provides a safe environment where they can grow old in peace. In order to achieve our goal, we have to depend on you and your generosity.

The park has a main entrance for parking cars. Once through the gates into the donkey area, we ask all guests to be mindful of the donkeys. It is their home and you are the visitor. The donkeys are allowed to run free within the park but may be isolated if they require medical treatments. We have a small gift shop offering t-shirts with our donkeys on it, mugs, backpacks, donkey toys, and more, proceeds benefit the park. There is a specially designed picnic area - a pavillion with tables and chairs surrounded by a small concrete wall. The donkeys can come "visit" the visitors but have the opportunity to leave if they desire. The area is very popular for our little visitors who feel safer a little bit further away from the donkeys. A separate three-story platform tower offers a bird's eye view of the park as you can see in the picture to the right. Our windmill provides water for the park.

The Donkey Sanctuary is open daily from 10:00am until 5:00pm daily, however no entrance is allowed after 4:00 pm. Bring some fruit or bread along, and you will be making friends fast. No entrance fee is required but we would greatly appreciate your donation. The money donated will be used to provide the donkeys with food and water and especially the necessary medical care. The remainder will be spent on the maintenance of the park. We also invite the local school children to our park because children represent the future. We tell them about the donkeys and their natural environment. A special program has been developed that teaches the local children about donkeys and then provides a field trip to the sanctuary for hands on learning. Bonaire would be lost without its donkeys. Bonaire and donkeys belong together. Therefore we ask for your support !!

In March 2006, our foundation opened the Donkey Paradise Safari Park, which people can drive through with a car, scooter, or bike. Entrance fee for adults is NAF 10,- (US$6), and for children under 12 years NAF 5,- (US$3). All proceeds go towards food and medicine for the care of over 300 donkeys; the donkeys thank you for your generosity.

Meet the Donkeys - we have dedicated a page to just a few of the wonderful donkeys that make their home with us.

Foster-a-Donkey Program -
If you decide to Foster-a-Donkey, the fostering lasts for one year. Your donation will pay for food, medicine, worming every 6 weeks, and all other necessary care. Your foster donkey will stay at our park. One donkey can have more than one foster parent, with the collected fees used to care for all the donkeys. The donation for the Foster-a-Donkey Program is NAF 300 per year for your donkey. We will keep you posted on its progress once each year with photos and reports (or more by e-mail). Of course we will do our utmost to take good care of your donkey and we hope you will have many opportunities to visit your donkey in our park.

Donations can be made by credit card at www.SupportBonaire.org or locally on Bonaire to the account of Donkey Sanctuary at Maduro & Curiel's Bank (Bonaire), Account # 108.78.904. Or cheques can be made out to Donkey Sanctuary Bonaire and dropped off at the Donkey Sanctuary.

U.S. tax deductible donations can be made through Support Bonaire, Inc.

We thank you in the name of the donkeys for your interest and your donations!

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Donkey FAQ

Donkey Sanctuary Bonaire
P.O. Box #331, Lima z/n
Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles
Our telephone number - Cell. (599)9 5607607
E-Mail: info@donkeysanctuary.org
The Donkey Sanctuary is open 7 days a week from 10:00am until 5:00pm.
After 4:00pm it is not possible to drive through the Safari Park.