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Photograph by Karine Aigner
Meet Curly, Charlotte, and Jennifer. They are donkeys from Frederick, Maryland, that helped save the day.
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Photograph by Karine Aigner
Virginia the pony was about to have a baby, but she had fallen on her side and couldn't get up. Panicked and thrashing, the pony risked hurting herself—or her unborn foal.
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Photograph by Karine Aigner
The donkeys dashed to their owners' farmhouse, braying like a crazy donkey alarm. "When I heard all three of them, I came running," owner Lisa Carr says. She quickly delivered Virginia’s foal but couldn't get the terrified 1,000-pound (454-kilogram) pony up.
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Photograph by Karine Aigner
Once again, the donkeys sensed danger. While Curly stayed behind to lick and comfort the newborn, Charlotte and Jennifer rushed to the house to alert Carr's husband.
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Photograph by Karine Aigner
Soon the two humans got Virginia back on all four hooves, and she began to nurse her foal. "Donkeys look out for their herd, and Virginia is part of that herd," says agriculture expert Jon Gersbach. Carr agrees, "Curly, Charlotte, and Jennifer are like the very best watchdogs ever."
Text by Kitson Jazynka
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