Elisabeth Svendsen

Elisabeth Doreen Svendsen MBE (23 January 1930 – 11 May 2011) was a British animal welfare advocate and former hotelier. Svendsen founded The Donkey Sanctuary, an animal sanctuary headquartered in Sidmouth, England, in 1969 to help abused or homeless donkeys. She also founded a related charity, the Elisabeth Svendsen Trust for Children and Donkeys, located in Ivybridge, during the 1970s. She tried unsuccessfully to purchase the donkey in the worst condition of the group.

Later life and death Svendsen retired from full-time work in 2007. The foal had arrived at the Donkey Sanctuary on 9 April after its mother was unable to care for him. Svendsen said at the time, "It's a real honour to have Prince William with us and I can't think of a better name for him, thus to mark the occasion of the royal wedding."

Elisabeth Svendsen died at her home on 11 May 2011, after suffering a stroke at the age of 81. She was survived by her four children—Clive, Lise, Sarah and Paul; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.