A herd of 32 donkeys is settling into new pastures at the Karoo Donkey Sanctuary after a marathon rescue from the mountains around Wupperthal in the Western Cape's Cederberg — though eight of their companions are still out there.
The story began when the sanctuary learned that roughly 40 free-roaming donkeys had been rounded up by the local Wupperthal community. Donkeys have deep roots in this corner of South Africa: Wupperthal was founded in 1830 as the country's first Rhenish mission station and later passed to the Moravian Church, and in terrain too rugged for easy transport, generations of locals relied on donkeys to carry people and produce through the mountains.
This time the animals needed the help. When the team — working with the Clanwilliam Animal Welfare Society (CLAWS) and New Turf Carriers — reached the herd, they found underweight mares with young foals, 18 uncastrated stallions, and suspicions that several mares might be pregnant. The sanctuary also feared the animals could fall victim to South Africa's donkey skin trade, a real and growing threat.
The operation didn't go smoothly. Arriving at sunrise on Saturday, 12 September, rescuers discovered that eight donkeys had vanished overnight and remain in the remote area. Founder and CEO Jonno Sherwin says they haven't been forgotten, but the logistics of returning mean a second rescue is on hold for now.
The 32 that were caught made a slow trip out: about three hours down to Clanwilliam, a transfer onto specialist equine transporters, then a total journey of roughly 14 hours, arriving at the sanctuary around 9pm. By the next morning the herd was grazing in the Karoo sunshine.
There's a cost to all this care. The sanctuary needs to geld the 18 stallions to manage the herd safely, and it's fundraising R63,000 (about R3,500 per animal) for the clinic. Supporters can give once-off or join the sanctuary's monthly Long Ears Club.
Why should travellers care? Wupperthal and the Cederberg are beloved by hikers, rooibos enthusiasts and road-trippers chasing red rock wilderness a few hours from Cape Town. Free-roaming donkeys are part of the region's character, and this rescue is a reminder that the area's remote valleys face real welfare pressures. If you're passing through the Karoo or planning a Cederberg trip, a donation or a visit to the sanctuary's work is a practical way to give back to the places you travel through.
