Arriving in the middle of the lockdown, a new foal born at a donkey sanctuary in Cork pretty much picked his own name.
And little Lockie was a bit of a surprise package for the volunteers at Hannigan's Farm in Liscarroll who have been caring for scores of donkeys through these difficult times.
His mum Honeybee was already in foal when she was brought in as a rescue so the sanctuary staff had to guess as to when her baby would arrive, Cork Beo reports.
The sanctuary's head vet, Laurence O'Sullivan knew that Honeybee was close to foaling after examining her and Lockie duly arrived on Easter Monday.
"On Easter Monday, our Head of Farms for Ireland, Declan Sexton, kept a close eye on the expectant mother, ensuring she was comfortable," the sanctuary revealed on social media.
"That evening, when he went to put Honeybee into her barn for the night, he noticed a dark shape standing behind her.
"It was a foal. The foal was still wet and had been born within the last hour or two. He was bright and alert and even though he shyly stayed behind Honeybee, he moved about easily."
Vet Nurse, Therese Riordan, arrived to check the mare and foal to ensure they were both in good health. Happily, all was fine as Honeybee’s foal suckled enthusiastically from her.
After the colt's birth, talk quickly turned to name suggestions, and with the current movement restrictions around Covid-19, it was decided the handsome foal would be called Lockie.
Since he was born, Lockie has increased in confidence. He is full of energy and although he never strays far from Honeybee’s side, he skips and runs around their barn and yard.
The little donkey has brought a lot of joy to Cork's very popular Donkey sanctuary, which has had to temporarily close to visitors.
They are still giving great care to their rescue animals, even through these difficult times. And they hope that when they can welcome people again, Lockie will get to meet a lot of new friends and admirers.
