“This is a new life both for them and for me,” Nilgün Varoş says. Varoş had retired in Germany, where she studied to become a vet, but returned to her motherland years later and settled in the western province of Balıkesir.
Dedicating her life to animals, she set up a farm for donkeys in the province’s Burhaniye district where these animals of burden, still popular in some parts of the country, are cared for and treated in their old age.
The farm is not exclusive to donkeys, but some 150 of them make up the majority of its inhabitants. Some are paralyzed and others are in need of a carer.
Varoş, whose bond with animals goes back to her childhood as she would often rescue injured animals she found on the street and care for them, initially set up an animal shelter in her apartment in Balıkesir. When neighbors complained about the shelter set up in a small space without a courtyard, she decided to find a bigger venue. She bought a 30-acre plot of land in the village of Tahtacı near the district and built her shelter there, complete with treatment rooms for animals and separate homes for each of the shelter's residents.
Upon reading and hearing about donkeys being abandoned and left to die once they get old and can no longer work, she decided to devote her life to the animals. That was 13 years ago and her efforts since have touched the lives of thousands of animals who would be put to sleep otherwise. Varoş, who also serves as the Turkey representative of the international animal charity Pro Animale, relies on donations to care for the donkeys.
She spends her days looking after the animals and overseeing their treatment. Along with donkeys, her shelter houses cats, dogs, camels and horses. “This is a work of mercy. Of course, not everyone is willing to do it but I only expect others to respect every creature and know that the right to life is not limited to human beings,” she says.
She says she has faced a myriad of challenges, especially due to the sheer number of animals. “I did not guess there were this many in need. We are receiving donkeys from all around Turkey. Some are suffering from cancer, others are very, very old and cannot care for themselves. All of them deserve a chance and we mobilize for them,” she says. “You can see the desperation in their eyes, they feel like they could die at any moment because of the injuries, diseases or other problems they have. So, it is a great pleasure to see them clinging to life again after we treat them here,” she adds.
