Bibi, Bitsy & Bluebell

Bibi, Bitsy, and Bluebell are lovely BLM burros saved from a kill pen in Oklahoma in September of 2022. Someone dumped two mothers, Bibi and Bitsy, along with Bluebell and her baby, Buttons. The foals were weeks-old.

We pulled them out, but not soon enough. As often happens, little Buttons died of pneumonia that she was exposed to in the pens and never made it to Skydog. Bluebell cried for her baby, we cried for them all. Bibi comforted her grieving friend by making her part of her family. The three huddled for closeness. Each one had a bowl of her own for grain, but they preferred to share one together.

Rescuing donkeys is hard on the heart. They are gentle, sensitive, intelligent beings who are overlooked and under-loved even though they do so much to improve the lives of humans. They are terribly vulnerable to stress and disease in kill pens. Upper-respiratory infections take many of them down. They don’t seem sick because they have evolved to be stoic and not show pain or weariness in the terrible circumstances to which so many of them are born. We rescued another mother and baby pair in honor of Buttons, but little Jacquot also died of pneumonia. Bitsy survived and it felt like nothing short of a miracle.

After a month in quarantine, the three burros came to Malibu. As they settled in and gained weight, Bibi and Bluebell became more curious and social with other ranch residents. They taught her little Bitsy the art of self-defense when the smitten mini-mule, Boots, oafishly charged over to express his love for them.

When they were ready, the little family moved up to Oregon, where they joined other donkeys and burros with playmates for Bitsy. In the spring of 2024, we released them onto 1200 acres that Blue Zeus and his family share with a very wild herd of long ears. Bibi and Bluebell had been wild, so this was a homecoming for them, but it is a brand new adventure for Bitsy.

They were immediately courted by a handsome, big, red donkey from Warm Springs, Lucky Luciano. He was protective and even chased his old friends away while showing the new jennies around.  Bibi and Bluebell have come full circle and are raising Bitsy to to be a wild burro.

#skydogbibi #skydogbitsy #skydogbluebell

Mustangs and burros need your help 

In addition to supporting our work by donating, becoming a patron on Patreon or sponsoring a Skydog, there are several important pieces of legislation to protect American equines currently moving through Congress. It only takes a few minutes to contact your Rep and Senators and urge them to support these bills:

Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act of 2023 (H.R. 3475 in the House / S.2307 in the Senate). This bill will shut down the slaughter pipeline that sends some 20,000 American horses and donkeys to savagely monstrous deaths in foreign slaughterhouses every year.

The Wild Horse & Burro Protection Act of 2023 (H. R. 3656) This bill will prohibit the use of helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft in the management of wild mustangs and burros on public lands, and require a report on humane alternatives to current management practices.

Ejiao Act of 2023 (H.R. 6021). To ​​ban the sale or transportation of ejiao, a gelatin made from boiling donkey skins, or products containing ejiao in interstate or foreign commerce, which brutally kills millions of donkeys primarily for beauty products and Chinese medicine.

You can Contact Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121‬, submitting contact forms on their individual websites, or sending one email to all three simultaneously at www.democracy.io

See our How to Help menu for other actions to ban zebra hunting at US canned hunt ranches, stop production of Premarin & other PMU drugs, and defund the Adoption Incentive Program.