There are instances when the mothers leave their babies for the sake of survival. When food is scarce the mother animals have no choice but to be forced to choose between their children. For Ben, his mom was already pregnant when she came into the sanctuary. Ben was her first foal yet she rejected him. Instead of enjoying his mothers’ comfort, care, and love, poor Ben didn’t even have the chance for this first contact. Instead, all he could do was cry for her. According to the sanctuary, Ben was born literally not knowing who or what he is. They are not sure why the mother chose to abandon him. All they know is that this baby needed help – humans’ help. Without his mother, Ben needed to be bottle-fed throughout the night. They would switch between staff and bottles every four hours to make sure that Ben receives the care he needs on his first night alone. Also, they started training him to move around and to start getting along with other donkeys. They know that they can only do so much for Ben. What he needs is a mother, a real donkey momma. He needs someone that he can bond with. And this is where “Jingles” come in… The sanctuary was lucky that they have this mare with them. Jingles already had a foal so she has experience in rearing and taking care of a younger donkey. Ben is the perfect friend for her since she didn’t have one in the sanctuary. They introduced Jingles to Ben. The tiny foal was anxious and terrified at first. He doesn’t know who the mare is and he doesn’t know how to move around her. There were times where Ben would run off when Jingles would start to come close. But Jingles was patient and took her time. She’s a mom so she knows how to make Ben feel comfortable. And it took around 4 to 5 hours before Ben started to warm up to her. Ben felt comfortable being around Jingles and it seems like the feeling was mutual. And even when Ben started to grow up and would hang out with his group of friends in the sanctuary, Jingles was always close by. Then a year later, Ben became a different kind of donkey, different from what the staff saw when he was first brought to the sanctuary. He’s much more confident and independent. He’s also attentive and well-behaved. He easily melded well with the herd and found his place among them.