Grand Turk Donkeys

Hello Friends and Family.
 
I'm reaching out to you because you've had the pleasure of visiting the beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands and believe you love this slice of paradise as Colin and I do. 
Colin and I first visited the turquoise waters of Turks and Caicos on a dive trip and loved it so much, we decided to buy a home-away-from-home. A few years later, we made a radical decision to buy a second home (Villa Azul) and overnight had a home rental business. Turks and Caicos has been our home ever since. 
 
Grand Turk is special to our hearts due to the people, beauty and animals. It is important to us we give back to the island and have chosen to do so by helping the wild animal population; Potcakes (Bahamian dogs), horses, donkeys and by turning vegetarian as the ocean is part of our home and the fish our friends. 
 
The drought this past year has taken an incredible tole on the wild animal population, especially the horses and donkeys you see on our website. They are desperate for food and water; especially water.  
 
You may wonder how the donkeys came to the island. Well, starting in the 1700s, Bermudians arrived on the island seasonally to rake salt from the salterns. They used donkeys to pull loaded carts from the evaporation ponds to the piers where the salt was loaded onto ships. ... This created a huge population of wild donkeys who are beautiful hardworking creatures (unless you get too close and they kick you) that were never meant to be on these islands. 

These creatures are desperate for water. Colin and I have done what we can to provide drinking water morning and afternoon to the forty or so wild horses and donkey’s that come to our property Villa Azul twice daily. They need a LOT of water, and we have provided it out of our house rainwater storage tanks for three months, but those tanks are almost empty, and we need help!
To keep providing the more than 1000 gallons a week needed by these starving and thirsty animals we will need to bring in truckloads of water at $160 USD per 2000 gallons, one load should last about 2 weeks!
In addition, we would love to build a proper concrete water trough with a “float valve” so the animals can get a drink anytime they need it.
We feel deeply privileged to be able to help these beautiful and friendly creatures at a time when they would otherwise suffer and perish. This drought will not last forever but meantime we would greatly appreciate any financial help we can get from go-fund-me so that we can create and maintain a proper safe place where they know that they can go to get water.
Of course, there is a benefit for us! These wild donkeys and horses are very clever, they know when people are helping them, and many have now become our friends. Please help us to help them.

EG and Colin