(Image: DSPCA/Facebook)

DUBLIN FIRE BRIGADE assisted the DSPCA in rescuing a severely weak donkey that had fallen into a canal in Clondalkin, Dublin, and become stuck yesterday.

A spokesperson for the DSPCA said that when inspectors arrived to assist the animal yesterday morning, she was very weak and they believe she had been in the water all night.

“She had no struggle left in her really,” they said. “Our inspectors did try to get her out but they weren’t able to unfortunately because she wasn’t able to assist, she was just so weak”.

(Image: DSPCA/Facebook)

Dublin Fire Brigade assisted and managed to get the animal out of the water.

The charity said the donkey, which has been named ‘Nicola’, is suffering from hypothermia as a result of being in the water for so long and is now on medication but should “make a full recovery”.

Nicola’s owner has now come forward and earlier today surrendered her to the DSPCA. The spokesperson said she will be rehomed with another donkey they have at the shelter as donkeys “just don’t do well on their own”.

Equine welfare

In the last two days the DSPCA has attended a number of equine related calls, including a horse with a badly infected eye, a pony that passed away while inspectors were in attendance and another that is now missing after being involved in a road traffic collision.

Just last week, in a horrific incident,  a horse died after being doused with petrol and set alight in south Dublin.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie, inspector Liam Kinsella said this is “the time of year that concerns us most”.

Coming into winter, we know a lot of these animals are out there without food and without water in a lot of cases, so they come out looking for food, onto the roads and so forth.

Kinsella said equine related calls have been increasing and the situation has worsened this year because horses have “no actual value” anymore with most of the horses they are called to help unregistered.

Read: Horse dies after being doused with petrol and set alight>