Weston-super-Mare donkey ride company hits back at 'irrelevant' proposed ban
A donkey ride firm - thought to be Britain's oldest - has hit back at calls to ban them from a seaside resort - saying the animals are happy and well looked after.
Campaigners are trying to ban the popular rides - saying the seaside tradition is “outdated and cruel” and wants it to end at Weston-super-Mare after 138 years.
But a donkey ride company in the Somerset resort has urged protestors to “come down and talk to us if you’ve got concerns” - and the animals are well cared for.
Campaigners are trying to ban the popular rides - saying the seaside tradition is “outdated and cruel” and wants it to end at Weston-super-Mare after 138 years.
But a donkey ride company in the Somerset resort has urged protestors to “come down and talk to us if you’ve got concerns” - and the animals are well cared for.
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AnimalsTranscript
00:00Hello there, I'm Richard Warburton. I run the donkeys on Weston Beach for Terry Vinton.
00:08I only heard about it last week. Somebody brought it to my attention. And then I looked
00:13down through the arguments that they've given for the no donkey rights at Weston, but I
00:20don't feel they relate to the condition of the donkeys here in Weston-super-Math.
00:26Donkeys are always in the public eye. There's water on tap here, there's plenty of hay out
00:31for them and there is always hay in the lorry. So their needs are met during the day.
00:39We've got about 30 donkeys. We've split them into two teams. So this group of donkeys here,
00:45the nine that are here today, all had yesterday off. And I've brought the other team. So you've
00:50got two teams of nine and then a few spares. Only children can ride donkeys. So you've
00:56got to be under the age of 14 and under about 7½, 8 stone to ride on a donkey. So the argument
01:03that they're carrying heavy weights all day long is not relevant to donkeys here.