UK NEWS

TYCOON STEPS UP BID TO SAVE OUR DONKEYS

BACKING: Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou

Monday May 12,2008

By Martyn Brown in Santorini

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BILLIONAIRE Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou yesterday promised continued support for the Daily Express crusade to end the suffering of Santorini’s donkeys.

Sir Stelios, who spent his summer holidays on the Greek island as a child, wants immediate action to safeguard their quality of life.

This includes new equipment for the animals and a code of practice for owners. The easyJet tycoon, who has expressed embarrassment at the donkeys’ treatment, has pledged £24,000 every year to help the Santorini Animal Welfare Association. The money is coming from his easyCruise operation, which visits the islands of his native Greece.

Sir Stelios made the generous offer after he read reports in the Daily Express highlighting the abuse of the donkeys.

“I hope that progress can be made this side of the high season,” he said yesterday. “This is a big commitment.”

Thanks to funding from easyCruise, Santorini’s donkeys were measured up for new equipment last week. Special padded blankets, made of breathable materials, are set to replace their old woollen rugs. And stainless steel stirrups and leather straps will replace rusting and frayed equipment that has been in use for 40 years.

Judy Welsman, of the Donkey Sanctuary UK, said the new equipment was a positive step. “We would like to say thank you to Sir Stelios,” she said.

• If you witness any mistreatment, contact the Donkey Sanctuary on 01395 578222 or the Santorini department for animal welfare on 0030 22860 25897.

THANK YOU EXPRESS FOR EXPOSING SUCH CRUELTY!

14.07.08, 10:02pm

My partner and I have been researching potential wedding venues and Santorini was on the list but not anymore! Good work to Stelios for donating money to such a worthwile cause x

• Posted by: Jenpen • Report Comment

TYCOON STEPS UP BID TO SAVE OUR DONKEYS

13.05.08, 7:41pm

Great, Stelios.
Pity no one at the Express has bothered to find out who is actually DOING THE WORK on Santorini. That would be the Greek Animal Welfare Fund, (or GAWF) a UK-based charity active throughout Greece and busy delivering the programme of improvements on Santorini through regular visits from its UK-based Equine Team as well as its colleagues in Greece. The donkeys, by the way, are mostly mules, which are larger and stronger. (But that doesn't make quite such a good story for the Express, does it?) The person within the municipality who is responsible for all animals on the island is passionately committed to welfare issues. 85 of the mules are already registered and licensed and that process is continuing. Together with the Donkey Sanctuary, that helps to fund GAWF's Equine Team, improvements are steadily being made. Instead of hysteria what is needed is to persuade the people of Santorini to do things better and to work with them to achieve this. They are not likely to listen if we keep calling them barbarians and urge people not to visit their island. So stop undermining the good work we are doing just to sell more papers, Daily Express.

• Posted by: AnnainGreece • Report Comment