The Wolf and The Donkey: A true tale
By: Wendy M. Z.
Once upon a time, in the faraway land of Albania, a man (uneducated in the humane treatment of animals) purchased a wolf that had been captured in the Albanian mountains.
This man claimed to love animals and wanted to open a small zoo.
The wolf was kept in a very small cage and was very unhappy.
The man had been feeding raw meat to the wolf; but, the wolf was not eating much. Someone suggested to the man that the wolf would do much better being fed LIVE prey. So, the man purchased a donkey to feed the wolf.
He placed the donkey in the small cage with the hungry wolf thinking the wolf would kill and devour the donkey overnight. To his surprise, this did not happen.
When the man awoke the next morning, he found the wolf and donkey had become fast friends. You see, they were both frightened, unhappy, alone. These two natural enemies, perhaps sensing each other’s pain, had bonded.
The two new best friends would eat together, drink together, sleep together and play together. If the donkey was taken out of the cage , the wolf would become very upset and try his best to get out of the cage to be with his friend.
Word of this odd couple began to spread. Villagers and local news crews soon came to see the wolf and the donkey. The news spread around the world.
A wonderful man named Nick saw the pictures and read the story of these two animals. He, and many others, realized this was just not right. Something had to be done to free the wolf and the donkey. After all, a wolf is a wild animal and wild animals should be left in the wild!
Nick contacted friends of his from all over the world to help spread the story. He drew up petitions and collected all the necessary contact information to help free the wolf and the donkey. Action alerts went out everywhere!
These petitions were e-mailed, spread via myspace and every other networking site in existence.
Soon, word came that the powers that be in Albania heard the cries of the wolf, the donkey and animal advocates from around the world. The donkey had been FREED!!!!
Nick and his friends rejoiced; but, there was still much work to be done. The wolf was still being held in very poor conditions. Several more calls were made and eventually THE WOLF WAS FREE!!!! He was rescued and released in the Kurbin region of Albania.
I know these two amazing animals will never forget the friendship they shared. I hope the people who read this story will learn a little more about the humane treatment of animals, compassion and empathy.
After all, if a wolf and donkey can sense each other’s fear and pain and comfort each other in times of distress and loneliness; shouldn’t WE humans be capable of doing the same?
© 2008 Wendy M. Z.
*Nick is a fictional character created to represent ALL the wonderful people who worked so tirelessly to free these two beautiful creatures.
Thank you. Thank you ALL!
Some of the wonderful organizations responsible for freeing the wolf and the donkey are:
Heart of the Wolf:
Save The Wolves on myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/savethewolf
Howling Acres Wolf Sanctuary:
http://www.howlingacres.org/
The Best Friends Network
Please visit their sites and help when possible!
Thank you!
