Former fashion media executive found a new pass in rescuing donkeys from slaughter
Midlife career changes don’t come much more dramatic than Ron King’s.
As a media executive on the New York scene, Ron was in the big league of the fashion industry, running some of the largest magazines in the country. But at 51-years-old, a company restructure left the former senior vice president with a hefty severance check and the chance to do something completely different. That’s when Ron decided to co-found Oscar’s Place Adoption Center and Sanctuary, a rehabilitation center for donkeys.
See how the former fashionista now rescues and rehabilitates donkeys destined for slaughter.
Ron’s career-swap began when he read an article on the decimation of the world’s donkey population due to the high demand for donkey hides in Asia, where they’re an ingredient in a traditional medicine called ejiao.
Without passing judgment on traditional medicine, Ron decided saving donkeys was his calling. So, together with a friend, Phil Selway, he opened Oscar’s Place, a 75-acre donkey rescue sanctuary in Hopland, CA.
The nonprofit foundation saves donkeys destined for slaughter, nursing them back to health, if needed, before finding them forever homes to live out their days in safety and comfort.