Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/donkey-sanctuary/

When you see Ron King surrounded by donkeys on his 75-acre ranch in Northern California, you would never believe that he is the former Senior Vice President of Time Inc., where he managed sales and marketing for well-known brands.

Unfortunately, when Time Inc. was sold in 2018, King’s position at the company was eliminated, forcing him to find jobs freelancing. But when COVID-19 hit, it made it very difficult for King to find work.

Then he received a call from his friend Phil Selway, a prominent pop art dealer, who told King he wanted to hire him to move to his ranch and sell it since it wasn’t being used.

King agreed, and quickly loved living on the ranch. While spending all of his time there, King learned about the plight of donkeys. Once farmers and workers deem them too old or useless, they are sold at auctions, slaughtered and skinned for their hides.

King knew immediately that he wanted to do something to help, so he came up with the idea of turning his friend’s ranch into a donkey sanctuary. He ran the idea by Selway, who thought it was a crazy idea but eventually agreed.

Thanks to donations, King was able to rescue donkeys and nurse them back to health on the ranch. He now has 97 donkeys, all whom would have been killed.

Not only is he healing the donkeys, but the donkeys are helping him heal as well.

King had a rough life. When he was young, he realized he was gay, and sadly wasn’t accepted by his father, a Southern Baptist preacher.

When King reached his 20s, he was homeless and became addicted to alcohol and drugs before finally getting sober after surviving an overdose.

“There is light at the end of the tunnel. And it’s not always a freight train. Sometimes, it’s donkeys,” he told CBS News.

King says his past experiences have helped him understand the power of resilience, which motivates him to build the donkeys’ strength and trust, and get them ready for adoption.

So far, King has found forever homes for 30 donkeys and has no plan of slowing down.

“For a long time, proving that I could be somebody or something motivated me. That part is gone. But I want to matter, to the world, to donkeys, to people,” King told CBS News.

Learn more in the video below:

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog