Elisabeth D. Svendsen
Personal Information
Description
Elisabeth D. Svendsen was born in Yorkshire in 1930. In 1969, while running a hotel in Ottery, St. Mary with her husband, Elisabeth Svendsen acquired her first donkey, a jenny named Naughty Face. She joined the Donkey Breed Society and became its area representative. When she observed the appalling condition of donkeys for sale in Exeter market, she decided to stop breeding donkeys and instead start rescuing abused donkeys. By 1973, she had rescued 38 donkeys, and she registered The Donkey Sanctuary as a charity. She also established The Elisabeth Svendsen Trust for Children and Donkeys, a charity which gives children with special needs the opportunity to have contact with and ride donkeys. In 1992 she received an Honorary Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery from the University of Glasgow. In 2001 she was honored by the RSPCA in recognition of her important contribution to the field of animal welfare.
Books
Donkey's Years
Opening with a child's-eye view, 'Donkey's Years' incorporates local history and topography, evoking with vivid, physical detail the voices of his playmates, the smells, colours and sounds of this peaceful corner of Ireland in the 1930s and '40s.
Donkey Tales
Ever hear of an alcoholic donkey? Or a donkey that can climb ladders? If you need persuading that every donkey is unique, then read these ten true tales of the histories of a selection of the donkeys who have come to live at the Donkey Sanctuary.
A Passion for Donkeys
Celebration of the noble animal, origins, acquisition, health, training, care, breeding, helping the handicapped. Chapters include: about the Donkey Sanctuary, care of the donkey, donkeys & mules at war, helping the handicapped, breeding & showing, the International Donkey Protection Trust, riding & showing, donkeys in trouble, doing the donkey work, a-z of donkey health.
A Donkey Doctor's Diary
Since Elisabeth Svendsen started the Donkey Sanctuary in England, over 10,000 donkeys have passed thru it's gates, all of whom are guaranteed care, protection, and permananet secuirty for the remainder of their lives. Dr. Svensen's first autobiography, "Down Among The Donkeys", tells the story of how it all began, and was followed by "For The Love Of Donkeys", which told her story up until 1992. This book is the third in the series and covers the years 1992 to 2002.