Public invited to help celebrate birthday of rare donkey that defied the odds

BROWNINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - An animal rescue in the Northeast Kingdom is celebrating one of its residents in July.

By all accounts “Hamilton” is kind of a miracle donkey, which is why his owners hope you will come out to celebrate his first birthday.

Sweet and silly, this incredibly rare Poitou donkey is celebrating the big 365.

“Well, he’s our little miracle child,” said Bari Fischer of Arnold’s Rescue Center. “He is the product of 25-year-old frozen semen, or approximately.”

The folks at Arnold’s Rescue Center in Brownington believe he’s the first Poitou donkey in the United States bred using artificial insemination.

The semen was gathered by the Hamilton Foundation for Rare Breeds which dissolved about 10 years ago after bringing these donkeys overseas from France.

While chances are 0%-30% that a pregnancy will work, this little guy is defying the odds, especially after being rejected by his mom, Quiche, at birth.

“She had him in a mud puddle. He became septic and was immediately taken from here down to the... clinic down in Rochester, New Hampshire, where he was in the ICU for 12 days,” Fischer said.

He’s made a full recovery since, playing in his pastures with his ball, munching on carrots and getting lots of love.

He joins 11 other Poitous at the rescue center.

Bari Fischer is a board member and loves the breed, which is why she’s working hard to keep them alive.

“They can haul about 1.5 times what a horse can. Their feet are very, very flexible, or their joints. They can walk over multiple terrains,” she said.

They’re widely considered to be the oldest donkeys in the world with heavy usage in World War I up to the gasoline age. Their lack of need led to their decline.

“In 1977, there were only 40 left in the world,” Fischer said.

Today, there are 500 of the critically endangered donkeys, and Arnold’s Rescue Center is working to get those numbers up with the science that brought them Hamilton and, as of two months ago, little girl “Misty.”

“The fact that we maybe can make a difference in the world. That our kids, grandkids and great-grandkids may know what the Poitous are because they were on their way out. There are fewer of these than panda bears, so we thought here if we can make a difference we certainly would like to try,” Fischer said.

Hamilton’s birthday party is scheduled for July 9 at 3 p.m. at the rescue center. Cake will be served for all, including the birthday boy.

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