Carousel Hotel

Blackpool Donkeys & facts on this animal

by LouiseTopp

Donkeys are gifted animals & the Blackpool donkeys do a brilliant job for any children who wish to ride them, I think they should be given a medal for what they do during long hot summers. In the wild, donkeys don’t reside in such close herds as horses & ponies do, because they live in the desert they have very loud ‘voices’, which can carry just over three km. Donkeys have a very strong digestive system that can break down almost inedible vegetation, they like carrots all the same.

Donkeys vary in size from the Miniature Mediterranean (under 91cm) to bigger donkeys such as the rare French Poitou (up to 150cm) with its large head & ears & thick, shaggy coat. Breeds have been crossed &, as a result, there are not many pure breeds left. Donkeys often live for 25 years or more. Some have been known to live to the ripe old age of60! A forty-year-old donkey is considered to be elderly; perhaps they could invent a telegram from the Queen for donkeys (har har!). They have a strong sense of survival & if they think something is dangerous they simply won’t do it, thus they would not make steeplechasers or three-day eventers! many domestic donkeys tend to be overfed & as a result suffer from a disease called ‘Laminitis’ which is a nightmare! Donkeys do not have natural ‘waterproof’ coats like horses & so must have a shelter. Horses are flight animals, i.e. in times of panic or danger they will run away, donkeys, however, will simply freeze when frightened; ours bite when cornered.

The 200 Blackpool donkeys dinner break is 1hr, & they don’t like to be disturbed. They work from 10am to 7pm & have every Friday off. These animals have been working for donkey’s years since the Victorian era, & new laws have been brought in so officials don’t make an ‘ass’ of themselves! Vets check them on Fridays to make sure they are healthy, hooves; ears, protruding teeth & furry coats will be checked.

Donkeys have a brown stripe along their back & another across their shoulders, forming a cross. There are 2 stories of how this came about: - It is said that they were given this mark following the stories in the Holy Bible that a donkey carried Mary to Bethlehem before Jesus was born on the first Christmas, or a donkey carried Jesus to Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday.

Postcards - Old

by grayfo

"Pleasure Beach"

The Pleasure Beach in Blackpool is Britain's top, free tourist attraction and welcomes over 6.2 million visitors annually. It lies in 42 acres, started with just one ride in 1896, and celebrated its Centenary in 1996.

"South Pier"

In 1893 and having cost £50,000 the iron and steel South Pier (originally known as the Victoria Pier but renamed in 1930) opened.

Today the Pier provides every kind of modern amusement from bars and electronic arcades, to dodgem cars and thrilling rides, the latest being a 'white knuckle' ride that replaced the now demolished pier head theatre in 1998.

"South Shore Crazy Golf"

South Shore is the southern coastal area of Blackpool with a large local community and many tourist attractions. Blackpool Pleasure Beach is in the heart of South Shore. There are many pubs and clubs in this large area of the town and many hotels and bed and breakfast accommodations. Blackpool Football Club, which is situated on Bloomfield Road, is also in South Shore. South Shore is also home to Blackpool's South Pier, which is popular with tourists from all over the world. The Blackpool Trams runs along the seaward side of the coastal road to its terminus at Starr Gate.