Donkey has two mums after 'one in a million' birth

A donkey foal at a popular farm park has ended up with two mums after a "one in a million" birth.

Staff at Dalscone Farm in Dumfries now have a unique family-of-three after a series of events left the two mothers believing the foal was theirs.

Seven days ago, farm owner Ben Best had been cleaning a pen in the morning when he noticed a foal standing between his two pregnant donkeys, Star and Mary.

Both donkeys were carrying at the same time, but they were not expected to deliver for several weeks.

He guessed one of them must have gone into labour overnight and was relieved it seemed to have gone smoothly.

He went to check on the foal and the mum but discovered another foal, stillborn, at the other side of the paddock.

He told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme: "I stopped still, thinking: 'Have they both foaled at the exact same time? Or has one had twins and one's not made it?' Both would be incredibly rare circumstances."

Both donkeys had, in fact, foaled at the exact same time.

The farm's vet confirmed the foal was stillborn due to a rare deformity but could not confirm which one was the mother of which foal.

Mr Best said; "That's where the confusion got deeper. Both mums thought the foal was theirs. Both were behaving exactly the same way, almost mirroring each other's behaviour."

He added: "The foal is grey so that gives us no indication from either mum.

"Because they foaled at the same time, both donkeys were looking round to see a foal that was fine and running about and that's what they found.

"They both bonded with the same foal, are feeding the same foal and care for the same foal.

Conflicting advice came from the nearest equine hospital in Lanark and from a behaviourist at The Donkey Sactuary in Devon.

Should they separate the mums, and which one should get the foal, now named Solomon?

Mr Best tried to work it out: "Looking at the foal, he was snuggling with Mary and feeding, but then five minutes later he would nestle into Star. He is nursing from both donkeys at the same time. To the foal he has two mums."

The farm staff considered the idea of trying to find an orphan foal to give to the bereaved donkey, but Mr Best said he realised why that wouldn't work.

"I had an epiphany. An orphan foal isn't going to work because none of these mums accept they have lost a foal.

"None of them are looking for a foal because to them, they have it."

So, for now the threesome will live together.

Staff kept a watch on them for several days to make sure they get along and no harm is likely to come to Solomon.

Mr Best thought their behaviours would change but that has not transpired.

"What I really hope happens is that the foal is going to bond with one donkey over the other and naturally it will fade away.

"But if we take the wrong donkey away, the real mum will suffer. It's the strangest situation I have come across.

"The chances of this happening were one in a million. A chain reaction of so many things had to happen at the same time."

There is a DNA test that would take a month to solve the mystery, but the fear is that the donkey may well have bonded with the donkey that is not its biological mother.

"Everything could change by then," said Mr Best.

The family will number three for the foreseeable future.

He said: "Baby Solomon feeds as he pleases, he nurses from each of them as one udder empties he has another one there - it's an unlimited milk bar.

"I'm trying to do what's best for all of them. The more you watch them, the harder it comes to guess who is the mother - he stands right in the middle of the both of them."