What an ass.
A beloved therapy donkey has died after being shot by a hunter, who reportedly blamed the tragedy on a poor shot.
Angelique was inside her enclosure with the rest of her herd at Hasty’s Haven sanctuary in South Carolina when she was struck by a stray bullet Sunday, the opening day of hunting season.
The donkey, who had previously worked as a therapy animal for children with special needs, had lived at the sanctuary for several years. Officials said she was “taken violently and in a negligent manner” by someone hunting less than 300 yards from the property’s fence line.
The hunter, whose name has not been released publicly, was charged after the shooting in Belton with negligent use of a firearm and hunting within 300 yards of a residence.
He faces a maximum fine of $200 and up to 30 days in jail.
The man said he had been aiming at a deer—not Angelique—but the explanation angered the donkey’s owners.
“Hunting 101, know your target!” they wrote in a Facebook post Monday.
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“Deer are light brown. Angelique was a dark colored donkey.”
“Did he think Angelique was a deer? I don’t know and don’t care what his story is,” one owner said, describing the donkey’s death as a “nightmare we can’t wake up from.”
The hunter is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 11. Angelique’s owners say they plan to attend and are also seeking additional legal action.
“We will be filing a civil suit,” they said. “This cannot happen ever again.”
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources called the shooting an “unfortunate incident.”
“Hunters must always positively identify their target, be aware of what lies beyond it, and ensure they are shooting in a safe direction,” a spokesperson said.
The shooting occurred about a month after Georgia police officer Trenton Garner shot HeeHaw, a beloved 1-year-old donkey, in a pasture at the Elsberry Riding and Farm ranch in Rockmart, Georgia.
Garner said he fired because the animal was charging at him.