Donations from public follow reports that two donkeys were 'kicked in the face, put in headlocks and hit with wood'
After last week's unsettling news that the long-standing tradition of donkey rides on Cleethorpes beach might come to an end after two of the animals were allegedly attacked comes the fightback: local people have offered more than £1,500 to track down the suspected assailants.
Last week John Nuttall, whose family have run donkey rides in the Lincolnshire resort for three generations, said two of his donkeys, Dudley and Banjo, were "kicked in the face, put in headlocks and hit with wood" by youths as they rested after work in a field.
Nuttall said he would consider whether to stop the business at the end of the summer season.
Humberside police, who described the attack as an isolated incident, said it had not been able to track down those responsible.
But following widespread media coverage, donations totalling £1,550 had been given towards a reward, the Grimsby Evening Telegraph reported. The biggest single donation, £1,000, came from the owner of a beach bar.
Nuttall told the paper: "I am very thankful for everyone's support. I have had emails from America, Spain and New Zealand asking me how the donkeys are."
The less good news is a report of another, albeit less serious, attack. On Monday, two boys aged about 12 threw wet sand at another of Nuttall's donkeys, Bluey.
Police told the newspaper: "We have been made aware of some antisocial behaviour in which two boys have caused some concern for the owner of the donkeys."
