In 1997, a small group of Arubans founded the Save Our Donkeys foundation, creating a sanctuary that now cares for over 120 animals. These donkeys are not native to the island. Their ancestors were brought by Spanish colonizers around 1500, and for centuries they were essential to daily life, hauling water and goods across Aruba’s arid landscape. When cars replaced them, many were simply set free. Today, the sanctuary exists at the intersection of animal welfare, cultural memory, and a changing island identity. This article investigates what the donkeys’ story reveals about Aruba’s relationship with its non-human inhabitants, and why that connection is more complex than a simple rescue narrative.
Donkeys were brought to Aruba around 1500 by the Spanish. When cars replaced them as the primary mode of transport, they were set free one by one.
The Aruba Donkey Sanctuary is a genuine animal welfare operation, but it also functions as a living archive of a pre-automobile economy and a flashpoint for debates about development, land use, and what it means to share an island with animals that were once essential and are now often seen as a nuisance. Understanding the sanctuary means understanding that history — and the tensions that persist.
Animal welfare travelers
Cultural history researchers
Family travelers with kids
| Period | Role of Donkeys | Human-Donkey Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| ~1500–1820 | Primary transport and water distribution | Essential working animals, integrated into colonial economy |
| 1820–1900 | Documented water transport use | Continued economic dependence; donkeys were valuable property |
| Early–mid 1900s | Gradual replacement by automobiles | Donkeys released into the wild as they became obsolete |
| 1997–present | Sanctuary care for abandoned/injured animals; 30–35 still roam free | Shift from utility to conservation; ongoing conflict with development |
Where the Donkeys Came From
The donkeys of Aruba are descendants of Equus asinus, a species that originated in Africa and spread along the Silk Route to the Mediterranean. Spanish colonizers brought them to the Caribbean in the early 1500s, and they quickly became indispensable on Aruba. The island has no natural rivers or lakes, so fresh water had to be transported from wells and natural springs. Donkeys carried barrels of water across the cunucu — the rural interior — to homes and farms. They also hauled goods between the coast and inland settlements, a role that continued well into the 19th century.
By the 1820–1900 period, the use of donkeys for water transport was so routine that it appears in colonial records as an unremarkable fact of daily life. They were not pets. They were working animals, valued for their hardiness in a dry climate. Donkeys are desert-adapted animals and can survive without water for up to four days, making them ideal for Aruba’s arid conditions. They eat cactus, leaves from many trees, and kwihi beans — a local legume — meaning they could forage for themselves when not working.
Donkeys are the largest “wild animals” on Aruba today. The term “wild” is misleading — they are feral descendants of domesticated animals, not a native species. The distinction matters for how the island manages them.
How Cars Changed Everything
The arrival of automobiles in the early-to-mid 20th century made donkeys obsolete. There was no organized plan for what to do with them. Owners simply opened their gates and let the animals go. Donkeys were set free one by one, left to survive on their own in an island landscape that was already changing. Some formed small herds in the cunucu and along the coast. Others wandered onto roads, where they remain a traffic hazard today.
This was not a sudden event but a gradual process that stretched over decades. As roads were paved and cars became affordable, the need for donkey transport evaporated. The animals that had been essential to Aruba’s economy for nearly 400 years became, in the eyes of many, a problem. They damaged gardens, blocked traffic, and occasionally caused accidents. The shift from utility to nuisance is a recurring pattern in human-animal relationships worldwide, but on a small island it happened quickly and with lasting consequences.
The Sanctuary’s Founding and Mission
The Save Our Donkeys foundation was established on April 14, 1997, by a group of Arubans who saw the donkeys’ situation as a crisis. The sanctuary, located at Bringamosa 2-Z in Santa Cruz, takes in ill, maltreated, and weak donkeys. As of the most recent data, it cares for over 120 animals, with another 30–35 roaming the island in groups of 2 to 16. One large group of 10 donkeys lives near Seroe Colorado, a former oil refinery site on the southeastern tip of the island.
The sanctuary is funded through fundraising, donations, and an adoption program. It is run by a board of directors including Chairman Jacqueline Boderie, Managing Director Desiree Eldering, and veterinarian Ricardo Contreras. Volunteers handle daily care. The foundation also accepts donations through Aruba Bank, RBC Bank, and an ING Bank account in the Netherlands, reflecting the diaspora community’s involvement. Since 2011, donations to charity have been deductible from Aruban income tax, and donors can request a receipt.
Threats the Donkeys Still Face
The sanctuary exists because the threats to Aruba’s donkeys have not gone away. Cars and trucks remain the most immediate danger — donkeys wander onto roads, especially at night, and collisions are common. Natural habitats are disappearing as housing developments expand into the cunucu. Wells that once provided water for roaming donkeys have dried up or been poisoned, likely by agricultural runoff or construction debris. Maltreatment by people, while less common than in the past, still occurs.
These threats are not unique to donkeys. They reflect broader environmental pressures on Aruba, where tourism-driven development has reshaped the landscape over the past 50 years. The donkeys are a visible reminder of what gets left behind when an economy shifts. The sanctuary’s work is, in part, an attempt to manage the consequences of that shift — one animal at a time.
A common misconception is that the sanctuary exists because donkeys are a native species that needs protection. They are not native. The sanctuary’s mission is about animal welfare and cultural memory, not ecological restoration. Understanding that distinction is key to understanding the complexity of the issue.
How the Donkey’s Role Differs Across Aruba’s Communities
Attitudes toward donkeys vary across the island. In rural areas like Santa Cruz and Seroe Colorado, where the cunucu way of life persists, some older residents remember when donkeys were part of daily work. For them, the animals carry a sense of nostalgia — a link to a pre-tourism Aruba. In urban and tourist zones like Oranjestad and Palm Beach, donkeys are more often seen as a hazard or a curiosity. Visitors stop to photograph them along the roadside; locals swerve to avoid them.
This split is not unique to Aruba, but it is sharpened by the island’s small size. There is no wilderness for the donkeys to retreat to. Every road, every new hotel, every housing development reduces the space available for roaming animals. The sanctuary mediates this tension by providing a controlled environment where donkeys can live without endangering traffic or damaging property — but it cannot solve the underlying land-use conflict.
| Region | Typical Attitude | Primary Concern |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz / rural cunucu | Nostalgia; some older residents remember working with donkeys | Preservation of cultural memory; land for roaming |
| Seroe Colorado | Mixed; large roaming herd is tolerated but not actively protected | Traffic safety; water access |
| Oranjestad / Palm Beach | Donkeys seen as roadside attraction or traffic hazard | Road safety; tourist expectations |
| Sanctuary (Santa Cruz) | Active conservation and care | Animal welfare; fundraising; public education |
- Aruba’s donkeys are feral descendants of working animals brought by Spanish colonizers around 1500, not a native species.
- The sanctuary was founded in 1997 to address the consequences of donkeys being abandoned when cars replaced them as transport.
- Attitudes toward donkeys vary by region and generation, reflecting broader tensions between development and cultural memory.
- The sanctuary cannot resolve the underlying land-use conflict; it manages its symptoms.
Questions Readers Ask
Are the donkeys dangerous?
Generally no. They are the largest “wild animals” on the island, but they are not aggressive toward humans. The main risk is traffic — donkeys wandering onto roads can cause collisions, especially at night.
Can I adopt a donkey from the sanctuary?
The sanctuary runs an adoption program that funds care for individual animals. Adoption is symbolic — you support the donkey’s care but do not take it home. Contact the sanctuary directly for details.
Why don’t they just round up all the roaming donkeys?
There is no legal mandate or funding to do so. The sanctuary takes in donkeys that are ill, injured, or weak, but it cannot forcibly capture healthy roaming animals. The 30–35 donkeys still free on the island are part of a long-standing, unresolved debate about land use and animal management.
Is it ethical to visit the sanctuary?
Yes, if done respectfully. The sanctuary relies on visitor donations and volunteer labor. Feeding the donkeys is allowed, but visitors should follow posted guidelines — donkeys have specific dietary needs and should not be given human food.
What is the biggest misconception about the donkeys?
That they are a native species that “belongs” on the island. They are feral domesticated animals, and their presence is a direct result of human economic decisions. The sanctuary’s work is about compassion and cultural history, not ecological restoration.
What the Donkeys Tell Us About Aruba
The story of Aruba’s donkeys is not a simple tale of rescue and redemption. It is a story about what happens when an animal goes from being essential to being invisible, and about the people who refuse to let that invisibility be the final word. The sanctuary is a small operation — 120 donkeys on an island of 110,000 people — but it raises questions that reach far beyond its fences. How does a society care for the living remnants of its own past? Who decides which animals deserve protection, and on what terms? These questions have no easy answers, and the sanctuary does not pretend otherwise. It simply keeps the donkeys alive, one day at a time, and invites visitors to reckon with the history they carry.
For a deeper look at how Aruba’s rural traditions and changing economy have shaped the island, read our guide to cunucu houses and Aruba’s rural roots.
Sources and further reading
Save Our Donkeys Foundation. “History and Role of Donkeys.” Aruba Donkey Sanctuary. 🔗
Save Our Donkeys Foundation. “Board Members and Contact Information.” Aruba Donkey Sanctuary. 🔗
Related reading on IslandHopperGuides
Sustainability in Aruba: Protecting the Island’s Natural and Cultural Heritage — examines broader environmental and cultural conservation efforts on the island.
From Gold Rush to Tourism: Tracing Aruba’s Economic and Cultural Evolution — provides context for the economic shifts that made donkeys obsolete.
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