Forty Angles and a Mule

Jimmy at Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia, 2009

A rugged bush block on the fringe of north-east Melbourne is the base for Diamond Creek Donkey Shelter, sanctuary for a motley herd of donkeys who for most of their lives have toughed it out as victims of neglect, ill health and even torture. Many of the donkeys, sensitive by nature, arrive at the shelter depressed, and it can take months, sometimes years, for the shelter’s band of volunteers — mostly women — to nurse their long-eared charges back to physical and mental health. The shelter, which relies on community donations, is caring for 160 donkeys and has rehabilitated and found new homes for a further 300. — Andy Drewitt

Andy Drewitt’s work will be featured in the Angkor Photo Festival, November 20–27, Siem Reap, Cambodia.