Robert De Niro

Ever since my husband and I rescued a donkey named Vinnie on our first date, we have honored a tradition of naming our burros, donkeys, mules, and hinnies after gangsters. We found Robert De Niro and his best buddy, Al Pacino, while we were rescuing two mustangs named Eastwood and Redford. In this instance, we decided to make an exception and use the names of great actors who play gangsters.

In 2019, as we were looking at pictures of Redford and Eastwood in a filthy Texas kill pen, we noticed little hooves and long ears were in there with them. One was listed, the other was not as he had been paid for, but never picked up. Hauling donkeys in the dead of winter is always a risk, but leaving them behind means certain death. Donkeys and burros suffer greatly on the lots. Respiratory diseases take them down quickly, or they get packed onto trucks to meet a savagely terrible death in the ejiao trade. We could not let this happen to these little guys. As soon as our wonderful hauler, Marlene Dodge, said yes to fitting them on board, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and a third little donkey, Joe Pesci, jumped on the freedom ride outta there.

They all arrived sick. Pesci had pneumonia and they all spent weeks in quarantine. De Niro and Pacino had to be treated for lice. We were told they were wild and unhandled, but as is often the case, these sweet animals were happy to be handled and loved on when it is offered with kindness and respect. They welcomed their winter blankets and soaked up all the love that was offered.

Today, De Niro can almost always be found grazing, grooming, playing, or resting with his best friend, Pacino. When people show up, they follow them everywhere. They run with a large herd of wild donkeys on rugged terrain in Oregon, to which burros have evolved to be ideally suited.

The same with our Oregon winter. DeNiro and Pacino seem to collect more snow on their coats than any other rescues at Skydog. That may look cold, but it's actually evidence their thick coats are working. The long hairs of their winter coats stand on end to create an insulating layer of warm air around their bodies. When a layer of snow accumulates on their backs, their coats' natural oils and thick hairs prevent the moisture from reaching the skin. Then we add hay to the equation, which also helps raise the body temperature. The fermentation of the fiber from the hay in the large colon and cecum creates internal heat, acting as a furnace for horses and burros. Forage takes a long time to chew, which produces more heat. All in all, these tough little guys are perfectly designed for their habitat.

#skydogdeniro

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.