A miniature donkey foal is causing a stir in Devon.
The foal is the smallest ever to be born at the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth — weighing just 14kg.
The tiny fluffy brown and white colt is just a few days old, but is already keeping his mum — three-year-old Summer — busy.
He’s been named Charlie.
Charlie with his proud mother Summer
“As his mum is a miniature donkey, he’s one of the smallest foals we’ve ever had,” said vet Elena Barrio.
“He’s about the size of a dog. To give you an idea he’s about 14kg as opposed to about 50kg for an average thoroughbred horse foal.
“He’s such a beauty and so delicate — small but perfectly formed. And perfectly healthy. No wonder his mum is so proud of him!”
Charlie has already had plenty of visitors.
“He’s loving the attention,” a spokesman for the charity told H&H.
“There are crowds of people trying to spot him in his paddock every day — he’s often sunbathing.”
Charlie playing in his paddock
He is the 14th foal to be born at The Donkey Sanctuary this year — already more than in the whole of 2013.
This baby boom is the result of the high number of rescued mares being taken in by the charity, particularly in cases of abandonment from Northern Ireland.
Summer was already pregnant when she was taken in by the charity in June from an overstocked farm.
Other galleries you may enjoy:
Horse saved from drowning in canal [PICS/VIDEO]
A horse has been rescued from a canal in the West Midlands. The horse had been tethered to the side of a canal when it fell in last Friday (1 August). A man in a barge called the Tipton fire station at 8am after he saw the horse in the canal in Coseley.
Horse rescued after spending nearly 30hr trapped underground [PICS/VIDEO]
A horse from Yorkshire has been rescued after being stuck down a hole for nearly 30 hours. The 14-year-old mare, called Sianey, fell almost 12ft down the hole after stepping on a manhole cover in the field on Monday (7 July) at around 4.15pm.
Household Cavalry horses enjoy a trip to the seaside [PICS]
As sun lovers around the country soaked up the rays on the beach — the Household Cavalry horses did the same. 145 horses from the Knightsbridge-based regiment spent four weeks in Norfolk as part of their annual Regimental Training Camp.
Redwings welcomes tiny Shetland foal [PICS]
A foal the size of a West Highland Terrier has been born in Norfolk. Tucker, the spotted miniature Shetland, stands at just 43cm tall and weighs in at a mere 10kg.
