An animal lover named Suzanne Gibbons knew she had to help when she heard about a farm animal in need. Gibbons, who founded animal sanctuary Animal Haven in Ireland, received a call about a donkey stranded in floodwaters.
The donkey’s owner told Gibbons that the donkey had gotten stuck in floodwaters after a storm blew down their gate, allowing the donkey to get out.
Gibbons quickly took to social media to ask for help. She would need a boat, some strong men, and some rope.
It wasn’t long before people responded to her Facebook post saying that they had everything she needed to rescue the donkey.
“At first I couldn’t find anybody willing to help me go in because the river was flooding really badly,” Gibbons told BuzzFeed News. “But luckily, Mike Fleming of the Killorglin Rowing Club soon came to offer his help.”
Now it was time to save the donkey.
The donkey’s rescue was caught on video. They put a life preserver around his neck and attached it to a rope. The donkey was safely lead out of the floodwaters and onto dry land.
“Never say something can’t be done, just do it. Declan and Mike were beyond brave,” said Gibbons, according to thejournal.ie. “So many people told me ‘don’t do it, it can’t be done, you can’t swim, you’ll get killed. These two men just said ok girl, let’s give it a go.”
Everyone was thrilled once they were back on dry land. But no one was more thrilled than that donkey. You could see it all over his face… literally.
The donkey, who was named Mike after one of his rescuers, flashed a huge smiled once he was in safe hands.
That smile ended up going viral and Mike’s story spread around the internet fast.
Mike was dried off and taken to the rescue center where he was given a nice meal and got some rest. He was also given some antibiotics to fend off pneumonia and other illnesses.
“We had a vet check him over because we were worried about him getting pneumonia and he slept under a heat lamp but he seems fine this morning,” Gibbons told BuzzFeed.
Mike was so happy to be safe, and he didn’t hesitate to thank you rescues in his own special way. That smile is worth a thousand words!
If you want to more about Mike and viral smile, check out the video below!
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