By Wednesday night, 1,720 people had signed a petition calling for the return of the donkey Biscuit and her foal, Kammy, to the island of St. John — more than two weeks after the pair was taken to a St. Thomas petting zoo.
“This is where they were born and raised,” said Pamela Holmes, cofounder of St. John Wildlife Rehabilitation (STJWR). “And you know, taking an animal out of the wild and putting it into captivity is extremely stressful, and any change in their diet can also be harmful to them.”
The dispute over Biscuit and Kammy began on Nov. 17 when, according to a police report reviewed by The Source, Holmes said she received a call about a man loading the donkeys into a trailer. Holmes made contact with the driver, who told her the animals were being taken to Connors Farms Petting Zoo on St. Thomas with permission from the V.I. Agriculture Department.
Attempts to reach the petting zoo’s owner, Joel Browne Connors, were not successful. A spokesperson for the Agriculture Department did not respond to a request for comment.
“Biscuit is a very, very sweet, sweet donkey — very calm and just very, very laid back,” Holmes said. “She’s by far one of the sweeter donkeys, which, you know, can also be a problem because those are the donkeys that the tourists will be drawn to.”
Holmes said a big part of STJWR’s mission involves educating visitors in the public about not feeding or interacting with the feral animals. Holmes said feeding the donkeys trains them to come onto the roads — posing a hazard to motorists and to the animals.
The STJWR has been monitoring the island’s donkey population since 2019, and the organization said Biscuit, whom they also microchipped, has been receiving regular preventive care. Holmes said the foal, who was born in early September, hasn’t yet been microchipped for fear of interfering with the bonding between the foal and her mother.
According to Holmes, Agriculture Commissioner Louis Petersen Jr. confirmed that the mother was microchipped in a Nov. 19 email to STJWR and stated that arrangements would be made to return them to St. John.
Two weeks later, Holmes said the nonprofit and its volunteers are still waiting for that to happen, and they haven’t heard from the department since.
Biscuit and Kammy’s absence has also affected the island’s remaining donkeys, Holmes said. Of the approximately 50 on island, fewer than seven are female, according to STJWR.
“They’re part of a family of donkeys, and … the ones that have been left behind are still very upset. They’re still looking for them,” she said. According to the petition STJWR started on Monday, two days-old goats were also taken, “leaving the mother goat to cry and search for them for several days and nights.”
Beyond bringing the donkeys home, the nonprofit hopes to work with the Agriculture Department and members of government to put legal protections in place for the animals.
“If no one has oversight of the donkeys per se — there’s no laws protecting them — then … why did the Department of [Agriculture] feel — or a person or persons within the Department of Ag feel — that they could give permission to relocate the donkeys,” Holmes wondered, “without any conversation with any of the other stakeholders?”
