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Wet Leg's Isle of Wight donkeys die after illness

The Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary Hester and Josh from Wet Leg cuddle miniature donkeysThe Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary
Hester Chambers from Wet Leg met Angelica on a visit to the sanctuary last year

Two donkeys adopted by award-winning indie rock group Wet Leg have died.

Miniature donkey Angelica, who has the same name as a Wet Leg single, passed away on Saturday, along with an older donkey called Jill.

The Isle of Wight band are the island donkey sanctuary's first celebrity ambassadors.

The charity said both animals had been "closely monitored for a while and both had various health issues that were causing concern".

"On Saturday, they both let us know that it was their time to go," it added.

The critically-acclaimed band previously adopted the donkey Archie Baby after hearing how his urinary problems were causing him to have a wet leg.

The Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary Jill and AnjelicaThe Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary
Jill (left) and Anjelica were put to sleep on Saturday

Hester Chambers visited the sanctuary last year with guitarist Joshua Mobaraki, which is when they adopted Angelica, with Jill adopted later as a Mother's Day gift.

The band also received a cuddly donkey to take with them on tour, which they named Archie Baby 2. It was later spotted on stage with them at Glastonbury.

Chief executive Susan McCall described Jill, who was in her late 30s, as being "very ill" while Angelica, 22, had "many different health conditions" and had been on palliative care.

The Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary Hester with AngelicaThe Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary
Wet Leg adopted Angelica after a visit to the sanctuary

She said: "On that particular evening I was there with three of the yard staff and some of the estate staff, and the care they gave to the donkeys was absolutely wonderful.

"I was so impressed by their care to each other as well as the donkeys. It made me very proud of the team that I've got.

"They gave them a last supper, with a special food bowl for each of the donkeys, there were lots of cuddles and care to the donkeys... so it was all done in a very considered and caring way."

The Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary opened in 1987, and currently has 115 donkeys.

Wet Leg's first adoptee, Archie Baby, is said to be "doing great" and "having fun" at the sanctuary with the rest of the herd.

The band, led by Hester Chambers and Rhian Teasdale, recently won two Grammys and two BRITs.

Getty Images Wet Leg on stageGetty Images
Wet Leg performed on the Park Stage at Glastonbury 2022 with their cuddly donkey sitting by the drum kit throughout the performance
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