Well folks, the plan for today was to tell you how dry the island currently is and how the donkeys need a little help from us. But guess what? It’s currently raining! And it hasn’t rained in forever! So hopefully this fixes the problem. But here is what I was planning on chatting about today…
So for those of you who are lucky enough to either be on St. John now or have been over the past couple of weeks, you’ve probably noticed how dry and crunchy the island is. That’s because we have not had measurable rain for weeks, if not a month or so. (But again, it’s raining a bit now! Yay!) You can notice the dryness nearly everywhere on island, although the crunchiness is definitely more noticeable out on the East End and in the Salt Pond area.
So because we have not had any rain, the poor donkeys are getting thirsty. This has prompted several to wander into Cruz Bay to search for water. Fortunately some good samaritans have put out buckets of water for the donkeys along Centerline Road. (The pic above was taken last week at the Coral Bay overlook.)
So, despite the fact that we are currently getting some rain, it’d be awesome if you can help give some water to the donkeys. If you happen to pass one of these buckets and have some extra water in your Jeep, please consider donating some. And if you happen to be over at Maho Bay, please consider watering the newly planted palms as well. They’re located on the west side of the beach where the pavilions used to be, and I’m sure they’d appreciate the love to.
That’s all we have for you today folks! It’s all about keeping the donkeys and baby palm trees happy today! Have a great one everyone!
I would love be to airlift a donkey to my home in Florida. They would get all the water they need. St. John donkeys are the cutest in the world.
Every time I see a pic of the donkeys, it makes me smile. They will love some nice clean H2O.
Love City Strong.
Aaaaaaaah – so thoughtful !!!
We saw them in Cruz Bay a week ago! Love seeing them all over Saint John.
That donkey looks so smart! Look in his eyes! There’s a lot going in between those big ears.
I have never been to St. John but am planning on taking the ferry over on a cruise in two weeks. Are we allowed to bring carrots and apples for the donkeys? Does the park rangers prohibit you from getting near them?
Humans are so quick to act without thinking of the consequences of they’re actions. The donkeys have been on STJ for hundreds of years. It’s dry every winter. The donkeys are still here. They’re climatized and will do just fine without a drink of water. We don’t need to be putting out mosquito breeding ponds and spreading nasty diseases around. Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika are diseases that no one wants. Putting out standing water in buckets is exactly what spreads those diseases. Trying to help the donkeys, who don’t really need it, while hurting the humans is not a good idea. Any standing water should be immediately dumped onto the ground.
The donkeys love carrots, apples, and all veggies… do not need junk food. The donkeys are free roaming and do not belong to the National Park! They were brought to the island to work, without any choice in the matter, which was long before the National Park existed. Please feel free to be the kind, concerned and decent friend they deserve! The good citizens of St. John thank you for helping.
A donkey can drink the water out of a bucket faster than it takes to read the misleading nonsense in mosquito guys message!
That’s exactly what I was thinking. People are imposing human needs as wild animal needs. These donkeys get enough water from plants in the dry season. They also have radically different internal organs than humans; organs that, like camels, allow them to go long periods without water and of no harm to the animal. I doubt donkeys are even drinking from these buckets even if they had the opportunity. I vote to remove them.