July 2011 – we relocated

For three long years we have been struggling with might and main, but we did it: we relocated! Thanks to the help offered by loyal donors, funds, sponsors and volunteers, we succeeded in rebuilding all our facilities.

We have been working some weeks on the new location now and meanwhile finished a lot of jobs that still had to be done there. For example we finished the intensive care meadow, the big billboard at our entrance is removed to the new location, several new information signs are placed and some trees and plants have been planted to decorate our barren land. Green Label on Bonaire gave us these trees and plants for free.

On the 15th of August our former rental premises must be delivered back to the government. Ed and Genaro are very busy now removing everything on this location. Not a pole can be left standing and not a single brick is allowed to be left there. It is a very frustrating job knocking down everything we once built with a lot of effort and care. But there is no help for it.

Although all facilities for the donkeys are ready now, for Ed and Marina it will be camping for the time being. Their old house is already knocked down and their new house is not yet finished. Out of necessity they encamp in the casco of the home under cunstruction. That will probably stay so for a while, as for Ed there is already another job waiting to be done: constructing a water pipe line from the new entrance towards the intensive care meadow and the feeding station.

Even though there still is quite a lot to be done, fortunately we can say that the relocation is finished. So this is the last time we will inform you on this special page about the relocation. But of course you can stay updated about the most important things happening in our sanctuary on our news page.

Again we would like to thank everybody who helped our donkey sanctuary survive this disaster. Next to the new shop we made a sponsor-board with all the names of  sponsors and main donors of the relocation on it. But also to everyone that helped us with a smaller donation or in another way, we want to say: thank you so much on behalf of all donkeys on Bonaire!

Click here to see a photo impression of the realization of our new sanctuary.