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MAY 2025
FELIX & WHIZ KID
Felix & Whiz Kid's Story
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Felix and Whiz Kid were two of the 26 donkeys who arrived in our first big rescue in January of 2021. From the moment he got off the trailer, Felix was incredibly sick. His body was slouched over, his head was down, and he could barely open his eyes. We kept a close eye on him and when he started wheezing, we called the vet. They said that he had a serious respiratory disease and needed to get to the UC Davis Veterinary Hospital as soon as possible. As the vet was talking to us, we heard some intense coughing from another pasture — Whiz Kid had the same problem and also needed to go to UC Davis. After a crazy stressful day, they got to the hospital.
Felix’s sickness had progressed to pneumonia, and the doctors said he probably wouldn’t make it. Both Felix and Whiz Kid were touch-and-go for several days. Eventually, they turned the corner and started to recover. Finally, they were healthy enough to return to Oscar’s Place. Day by day, their health improved. Through it all, Felix and Whiz Kid had each other. They became absolute best friends. To this day, the two are inseparable — you’ll never see one without the other! They play together, eat together, and sleep together. They are the sweetest, friendliest donkeys on property — it feels like they know they’ve been given a second chance.
About the Artist:​
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Melisa Beveridge of Woollybear Travels is a Registered Veterinary Technician and a Science Illustrator on a mission to make the world a better place for orphaned, injured, and rescued animals. Through Woollybear Travels, she goes to animal sanctuaries around the world and volunteers her services as an animal nurse, where it’s legal, or does general volunteer work if it’s not. She writes about the animals she meets, the people who are helping them, and creates artwork based on her experiences.
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About Oscar's Place:​
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Donkeys are some of the most loving and trusting creatures on Earth, and when they suffer because humans are unkind, Oscar’s Place steps in. While we’re just a team of everyday individuals, we deeply care for and are committed to providing a safe haven for donkeys in need.​ We focus on donkeys because the world's donkey population is being decimated. Not by disease, global warming, or predators. But because there is a high demand for their hides in the creation of a traditional Chinese medicine.
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They deserve better than to be abused, crowded into horrifying transport containers, and shipped off to slaughter factories. Our mission is straight-forward: To every donkey that makes its way to Oscar’s Place, we will do everything in our power to keep that animal safe, healthy & happy for the rest of its life.
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We love animals, and quite frankly, we need to team up with other people who also care about what happens to these beautiful creatures. The good news is that it doesn’t take much to make a big difference.​When you make a donation, you help a donkey recover emotionally and physically from its past.
You are restoring their belief in humans as caregivers. Your impact even makes it possible to re-home donkeys to carefully-screened adopters, which enables us to bring more of these precious animals into our care system. Again, we’re not special, but our team consists of caring employees, volunteers, veterinarians, and farriers – all with a singular objective: to help donkeys recover physically, mentally, and emotionally. Every person on-site is committed to hands-on interaction with our donkeys, every day.Loving them. Calming them. Healing them. We want to show them that humans can be good. Can you save a donkey’s life today or can you share this message?
Thank you so much for caring.