We are renewing the Donkey Flights Project to Sanctuaries in Europe
After years of abuse and hard labor, we have rescued and rehabilitated thousands of donkeys, giving them a life of freedom, peace, and safety—thanks to your unwavering support.
Yet, hundreds of donkeys in Israel still endure daily violence and neglect. Your help can free up space and resources to change their reality.
Flight 8
Flight 9
04.2025
05.2025
Raised so far: Loading...
Receipts for this donation will be recognized for tax purposes in US. All donations will be made payable to "JGive Friends of Asor Fund USA" Inc and they will transfer it to us.
Learn About Us -
Watch our video to discover our mission.
We are Israel’s largest animal sanctuary and one of the largest worldwide, focusing mainly on donkeys and horses. Today, we are housing approximately 1,700 animals, including 1,200 donkeys, 100 horses, Hundreds of cats, dogs, and other farm animals. Every one of these animals has suffered cruel abuse, neglect, or abandonment. At our shelter, they get a fresh start—experiencing freedom, love, and the good side of humanity.
Why Fly Donkeys to Europe?
To understand the reason in depth, we will begin by providing background on their situation and the association's activities on their behalf:
The Context: The Donkeys' Bad Public Relations Led to a Lifetime of Hardship
Historically, donkeys were used as beasts of burden, worked to exhaustion, and discarded. Until 2022, hundreds of donkeys were sent to Gaza annually for hard labor. Once deemed "useless," they were transferred to slaughterhouses in Egypt, skinned, and sold to China’s cosmetics industry.
Our Mission: Breaking the Cycle of Abuse
In the past 7 years, thanks to our dedicated supporters and generous donors, we’ve rescued and rehabilitated over 2,000 donkeys who lived in a reality of daily abuse, hard labor, and fear.
At the shelter, they received physical and mental care, and the chance to live in peace and safety.
The Challenge: Space and Resources
With the growing number of rescued donkeys, our monthly maintenance costs have skyrocketed to $190,000 - a financial burden we struggle to meet.
We realized that overcrowding and rising costs would limit our ability to help more donkeys.
Our Solution: Donkey Flights Project
We took an unprecedented step—flying rehabilitated donkeys to shelters abroad.
We partnered with European shelters in countries where animal abuse is illegal, and donkey carts are outlawed.
In June 2022, our first flight carried 50 rehabilitated donkeys to France.
We invite you to watch the story of the first donkey flight, in which we documented the process the donkeys went through from the moments of rescue to the rehabilitation processes and to their exciting arrival at their new home in France.
The pilot program was a success! Since then, nearly 400 donkeys have been flown to Europe, where they now live in green pastures with dedicated care.
This initiative allows us to free up space and budget to rescue and rehabilitate even more donkeys in Israel.
The Donkey Flights Project - The Significant Economic Benefits for the Continuing Existence of the NPO (Non-Profit Organization)
The annual cost for food and routine care for a donkey in the shelter reaches $1940, compared to the significantly lower cost of flying each donkey.
It is important to note that from the moment the donkeys arrive at their new home - those shelters take full responsibility for them.
Thus, the flying solution allows us to continue helping the hundreds of donkeys who are still waiting for us to rescue them from their unbearable reality.
The impact of the war on the NPO
Before the war began, we planned to fly 600 additional donkeys in 2024. However, the war imposed a different reality on us.
The Donkey Flights Project was put on hold, so we could not fly donkeys. However, we did take in about 600 additional donkeys, causing the total number to double and accordingly increasing our costs for food and treatment.
Currently, around 1,200 donkeys reside in our sanctuary, and the monthly maintenance cost for our NPO has reached $190,000, which is extremely challenging to raise each month.
Additionally, we lost many significant donors who redirected their contributions to support the families of those kidnapped, the soldiers, and the residents affected by the events of October 7th.
We fought tooth and nail to survive financially in 2024.
The Donkey Flights Project is the only way we can free up space and budget, continue our NPO's activities, and rescue the last donkeys left in Israel who need us desperately.
The Donkey Flights Project in the media
Throughout the seven flights we have organized so far, the project has received media coverage several times, both in Israel and internationally. Good people from Israel and around the world have joined us in this initiative.
Meet them - the candidates for the next two flights:
Preparations for the Flight
Preparations for the flight begin long before the actual departure date. We compile a list of the rehabilitated donkeys that are strong enough to undertake the journey.
We take photos, create ID cards for each donkey, and confirm with the adopting shelters that they can provide the necessary care for each donkey. We ensure that all microchip numbers are accurate.
A thorough veterinary check is conducted: we vaccinate each donkey again, deworm them again, re-examine their teeth and hooves, and collect blood samples to confirm that everyone is healthy enough for the flight. Additional samples are sent for special testing in Germany to secure permission for the donkeys to enter Europe.
Next, we tackle various bureaucratic permits and plan the logistics of the flight, including food and scheduling.
We are now in the final stages of preparation! From now on, everything relies on your support to help raise funds for the flight. :)
The New Homes
Since the project's inception in 2022 our NPO has established relationships with numerous shelters across Europe.
Some of these shelters have already sponsored dozens of donkeys that were flown in on the last seven flights.
The 100 donkeys that are set to be transported will be delivered to various shelters - new loving homes in France and Belgium.
Get to know them:
More information about the campaign and the flight project
1. How many donkeys currently reside in the Starting Over rehabilitating sanctuary?
Almost 1,200 donkeys currently reside in the sanctuary. About 600 of them were rescued and rehabilitated in 2024.
2. Where can I find more information about the NPO?
We invite you to visit our Facebook page and the main website of the NPO, where you can learn more about our activities.
3. Are there ways to support the campaign without making a financial donation?
Yes, we would greatly appreciate it if you could share the project with your family, friends, and on social media. Our NPO relies on supporters who regularly share our content to help us reach more people who want to assist. We would be grateful for any sharing and distribution of the content we publish to raise funds for the project.
In practice:
Go to the campaign page > Copy its link > Share where you can
Follow us on social media > Share the content we upload
Even if you do it only once - it can help a lot!
5. How many donkeys have you flown already?
In 2022 and 2023, the NPO flew almost 400 donkeys to various shelters in France and Belgium. This amount was spread over seven flights, one every few months.