A rare silver and white donkey was born at the Karoo Donkey Sanctuary, near Prince Albert earlier this month.

The donkey, named Hope, was born with the same rare genetics as his mother, Snow White.

One of the founders of the Karoo Donkey Sanctuary, Jonno Sherwin, explained to Tourism Update that there had been a huge loss of donkeys because of the ongoing skin trade in Africa and that the sanctuary was the largest of its kind in Africa.

A recent report by the Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organisation showed that the number of donkeys killed worldwide has steadily increased from 2016, with the donkey population in Brazil dropping by 28%.

The Karoo Donkey Sanctuary hopes that sharing Hope’s story will bring more awareness of the global crisis for donkeys. “Our beautiful baby Hope is evidently a ‘frosted spotted white’ donkey in terms of his colouration, and is certainly a first for us in terms of our mega herd. His mother was rescued early last year and she was also destined for slaughter whilst in foal,” said Sherwin.

The sanctuary also welcomes volunteers who can offer donkeys a ‘forever home’ or supporters who can donate money or feed.