Seeking sanctuary: creating a new utopia on a donkey farm

Abstract

A recent uptick in international trade in donkey hides has sparked intense concern among social activists. Several campaigns have been launched in attempts to protect donkeys and to ensure their wellbeing in response to what various groups have labeled a “crisis.” As a result, donkeys have increasingly been given homes in animal sanctuaries that focus specifically on the rescue and rehabilitation of farm animals. This paper explores the ways in which the people who run one such sanctuary in Pretoria, South Africa, try to create order through praxis. Data were collected by way of ethnographic observation over an 18-month period, as well as through interviews and analysis of textual sources. We argue that the sanctuary can be understood as an attempt by its directors, managers, and volunteers to create a model of what they consider the ideal order of humans’ relationships with animals. Central to this argument are discussions around interlocutors’ beliefs about veganism, animal rights, their focus on animals as individuals, and the historical context of donkeys in South Africa.