Patients in a psychiatric hospital unit outside Paris are receiving support from therapy donkeys, according to multiple outlets citing reporting from France. The hospital’s programme is described as unusual in France, where patients spend time with the animals as part of mental health care. Coverage says staff and patients view the donkeys as calm, social and well-suited to therapeutic work.
Reports attribute a range of potential benefits to donkey-assisted sessions. These include improvements in emotional regulation, communication and social interaction, along with support for patients’ self-esteem. Some articles present patient feedback highlighting that interacting with the animals can be comforting and motivating, and that caring for or spending time with the donkeys forms part of the treatment experience.
The articles do not identify specific diagnoses targeted by the programme or provide data on clinical outcomes, but they consistently describe the initiative as a non-traditional approach being used in a psychiatric hospital setting near Paris.
