Therapy Donkeys Calm Psychiatric Patients in France

Every Friday, patients at a psychiatric hospital near Paris get the therapy session they didn't know they needed: time with donkeys who specialize in calm.

At Ville-Evrard hospital complex in Neuilly-sur-Marne, patients dealing with anxiety, schizophrenia, and loneliness head to a wooded farm sanctuary for sessions with therapy donkeys named Nono, Pitou, Oscar, Manolo, and Malraux. Some patients ride in carts pulled by the gentle animals, others clean hooves, and some simply receive quiet nuzzles.

The results speak for themselves. Patients report feeling relief and describe the experience as a valuable escape from clinical routines.

"Talking with people, taking part in activities I wouldn't normally do, it helps me in my daily life," said 52-year-old patient Jérôme. "It helps you break away from the routine of treatment and medication."

Married couple Ermelinda and François Hadey launched the program in 2016 after Ermelinda, a psychiatric therapy nurse, became convinced of animal therapy's potential. They chose donkeys for their gentle, social, and intelligent natures, traits developed over thousands of years of working alongside humans.

The program has grown beyond donkeys to include goats, turtles, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, and doves. All sessions are free for patients.

Nursing student Alicia Fabi, 18, watches the transformation each week. "Every time we come back from the activity, they say they feel good, calm and relaxed, and that they enjoyed the outing," she told the Associated Press.

The Ripple Effect

The improvements aren't just anecdotal. Hospital staff observe measurable changes in patient behavior and mood after sessions. Patients themselves report the therapy helps them function better in daily life, offering skills and confidence that extend beyond the farm sanctuary.

Now the hospital and the Hadeys are seeking formal scientific research on the donkey therapy program. Their goal is standardization that would allow the treatment to be offered across France, bringing this gentle form of healing to psychiatric patients nationwide.

For patients like Jérôme who find staying home isolating, the Friday farm visits provide connection, purpose, and a break from the weight of their conditions. The donkeys, bred over centuries to carry heavy burdens, seem perfectly suited to help carry emotional ones too.