Patients find help with therapy donkeys at psychiatric hospital near
Paris
[June 01, 2026]
By SYLVIE CORBET
NEUILLY-SUR-MARNE, France (AP) — Therapy donkeys are helping patients
with mental health conditions recover in a psychiatric hospital unit
outside Paris that's unique to France.
The 19th century farm buildings and wooded surroundings are a haven
within the Ville-Evrard hospital complex in Neuilly-sur-Marne. On
Friday, patients took the five donkeys for a walk and cared for them.
Some confidently lifted their hooves to remove dirt. Many ended the
session with a hug.
“When you take medication that helps you relax … it’s exactly the same,”
said Nathalie, a 60-year-old patient. She and others were identified by
their first names only to protect their privacy.
“I’d call it animal medicine,” she said. “It brings relief. You stop
thinking about everything else."
‘It helps you break away from the routine of treatment’
Patients attend the sessions free of charge as part of their treatment,
which is funded by France’s public health system.
Participants are usually paired with a donkey — Nono, Pitou, Oscar,
Manolo or Malraux. Over time, they become familiar with each other’s
personalities.
Audrey Seffar, a nurse at the animal therapy unit, said Nathalie's
progress after only a few sessions was significant.
“At first, she wouldn’t get out of the cart (provided for people with
physical difficulties). But little by little, with encouragement, she
did," Seffar said. "The animal serves as a mediator. It’s such an
extraordinary one that today she was able to leave the cart and stand
beside her donkey."
Another patient, Jérôme, 52, said the program helps reduce loneliness.
“Talking with people, taking part in activities I wouldn’t normally do,
it helps me in my daily life,” he said.
He added: “It helps you break away from the routine of treatment and
medication. Staying at home isn’t good for me.”
‘They’re emotional sponges’
The first donkeys arrived at Ville-Evrard hospital in 2016 as part of a
project launched by Ermelinda and François Hadey.
Ermelinda, a nurse specializing in psychiatry, strongly believed in
animal therapy benefits and thought donkeys, known for their calm and
social nature, would be perfect. Her husband learned how to train
donkeys for therapy work. Some of the animals were adopted through
shelters after experiencing neglect or mistreatment.
“A donkey is very intelligent. It understands things very quickly, but
you have to explain slowly,” François Hadey said. “Donkeys are calm,
serene animals that are generally close to people. Once they’re involved
in these interactions, they connect very well with patients. They’re
emotional sponges.”
Since 2022, the animal therapy program has had official status as a
health care unit in the hospital, allowing it to employ three full-time
nurses. Volunteers with a nonprofit group help care for the animals.
The program has expanded to include guinea pigs, chickens, doves, goats,
turtles and rabbits. Sessions are tailored to people’s needs and
preferences, and smaller animals can be brought to hospital rooms.
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A patient with mental health conditions participates in a therapy
session involving donkeys at a psychiatric hospital in Neuilly-sur-Marne,
in the eastern suburbs of Paris, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP
Photo/Thomas Padilla)
 Alicia Fabi, an 18-year-old nursing
student, said the activity gives patients a chance to leave the
hospital environment.
“Every time we come back from the activity, they say they feel good,
calm and relaxed, and that they enjoyed the outing. That’s really
positive,” she said.
Walking together also allows patients and health workers to develop
a deeper relationship.
“We talk about many different things, their illness, their lives and
just about everything else. We don’t focus only on the illness
because we don’t want them dwelling on it all the time,” Fabi said.
They seek research into the benefits
Health workers say the sessions are designed as therapeutic
interventions for living with anxiety, depression, autism,
schizophrenia or other conditions. Staff said they can help improve
emotional regulation, communication, social interaction and
self-esteem.
“Everything we do with the animals allows us to work with the
patient,” Ermelinda Hadey said. “We work on feeding the animal,
which helps us address the patient’s own eating habits. We work on
the animal’s hygiene, and by mirror effect, we work on the patient’s
hygiene as well.”
Many patients take intensive treatments, including antipsychotic
medications or sedatives, which can make it difficult to find the
motivation to participate in activities, she said. That’s where the
relationship to donkeys and other animals play a role, she stressed.
“It does not replace a doctor or a medical prescription, but it can
help patients regain confidence and a sense of self-worth," Hadey
said.
She said more scientific evaluation is needed. They would like
animal therapy to be formally recognized by the psychiatric
community as a complementary form of care.
“To do that, we need research. We have plenty of accounts from
patients ... Caregivers who accompany them see the benefits every
day as well. But doctors have so many other responsibilities that
they don’t necessarily witness it firsthand,” she said.
At the end of Friday’s session, as patients chatted, a nurse summed
up the program’s appeal: “Donkeys are my best colleagues.”
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