The Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary is on a rescue mission this Christmas to bring ten donkeys over from Europe.
Staff at the sanctuary are undergoing operation 'Bring the French Donkeys to Wroxall' after they were contacted by a woman who helped rescue two families of donkeys from a slaughterhouse.
Tracey Bradford, who lives in France saved a total of eight donkeys, including two recently born foals, and she has taken in two more donkeys who had a similar plight, from the Pegasus sanctuary in Normandy.
The sanctuary says all of them "have been through a terrible time and are in need of a permanent home."
So now, the team are doing all they can to bring them to the Island.
A spokesperson for the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary said:
'Operation ‘Bring the French Donkeys to Wroxall’ is being prepared!! Passports, vet checks, transport, ferries, stabling all are being planned. The challenges are great – an English Lockdown, a French Lockdown and the need to beat Brexit by December 31st. If we achieve this it will be a wonderful Christmas for the donkeys and for the sanctuary.'
Eight of the donkeys have names: Jiva, Javette, Jenny, Jumpy, Josephine and Junon with two foals Kitchi and Koko.
But the two donkeys from Normandy are yet to be named - so Islanders are being urged to put forward their suggestions to the sanctuary.