This Hospital's Heartwarming New Therapy Team Has Long Ears and Hooves
When life gets you down, try petting a donkey. That is the motto by which patients at Ville-Evrard hospital in Neuilly-sur-Marne, France, go by.
The hospital has had a donkey therapy unit since 2016, when psychiatric nurse Ermelinda Hadey and her husband François decided to test an unusual idea.
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Five donkeys, named Nono, Pitou, Oscar, Manolo and Malraux, take part in the therapy sessions. Patients lead the donkeys through the grounds, clean their hooves, and hug them at the end of the session. Each patient gets his own regular companion.
A Hunch That Changed Psychiatric Care
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According to Euronews, Hadey launched the program alongside her husband in 2016. They started the program on a hunch, an understanding that donkeys possess a calm nature that can connect with patients when conventional treatment fails.
While dogs are a common choice for animal-assisted intervention, Hadey and her husband wanted to try something different. Eight years later, the program received formal recognition as a healthcare unit. They employed nurses and expanded beyond the original five donkeys. Now, their hospital includes doves, goats, turtles, rabbits and even chickens.
When patients cannot go outside, hospital staff bring small animals into their rooms.
How Donkeys Help People Under Stress
Nathalie, a 60-year-old patient in the hospital, described the experience, saying, "When you take medication that helps you relax. it's exactly the same. I'd call it animal medicine. It brings relief. You stop thinking about everything else."
Animals, including donkeys, help patients experience a different kind of conversation. They do not judge. They do not ask difficult questions. They simply respond to your energy.
Jerome, a 52-year-old patient, said that the therapy helped him break out of isolation, saying, "Talking with people, taking part in activities I would not normally do, it helps me in my daily life. Staying at home is not good for me."
Can Donkeys Become the Next Labrador Retrievers?
Dogs paved the way for animal-assisted therapy years ago. Labrador retrievers are considered some of the best therapy dogs.
For years, dogs have been part of programs at hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centers and mental health institutions. Research has shown that interacting with therapy dogs can help reduce feelings of stress, loneliness, and anxiety. Dogs are a natural fit for these positions. They were bred to seek human interaction and provide a sense of safety.
The team behind the program hopes more research will validate the value of donkeys. They want more people to experience what they see every day.
Imagine arriving at a therapy session after a difficult week. Instead of sitting across from a desk, you walk beside an animal that doesn't care what happened yesterday. It only cares whether you're there today.
For some patients, that appears to make all the difference.
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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 9:48 AM.