It’s been told time and time again how animals have a sixth sense. They can feel and know things most humans are oblivious to. Whether it’s sensing someone being ill, when they themselves are not well, to recognizing when good souls are around them. Japanese scientists Monamie Ringhofer and Shinya Yamamoto of Kobe University have been studying horses and their behaviour. In a report published in the *Animal Cognition* magazine, they argue that horses try and do communicate with people. The study says “horses possess some cognitive basis for this ability of understanding others’ knowledge state in social communication with humans.” This proved to be key in the survival of one beautiful horse.Animals that are deemed still strong enough will get auctioned and bought by farmers while those believed to be too old and weak are sent to Mexico to be slaughtered.
“Oftentimes, the horses or donkeys are old, or the owners lost their property, or the owners passed away or simply are unable to care for them and they are sold to auction,” McGregor says. “If they are not bought at auction by people or other farms, the slaughter pipeline will buy up all of the animals and resell them.”
“When we went to bail the mini donkeys from the kill lot, this skinny, grey gelding walked straight up to our trailer, pass the gates, disregarding the commands of the kill lot employees,” BHHR wrote on their Facebook page. “He was intent that this was his ride out of there.”
Bubbles waited for all the mini donkeys to line up and pass him before he could get on the “freedom trailer.”
“There was just no way we could leave him behind,” the BHHR volunteers admit.
They have received letters, donations, and love for Bubbles from people all over the globe.
The organization set up a Facebook page for the beautiful horse titled appropriately, Bubbles The Rescue Horse.
“Bubbles really is as sweet and smart as we say he is,” Smith says of the overnight celebrity. “He’s a gentle wise old soul.”
