Rescued donkey now performs for royalty

LONDON, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- An English donkey rescued from butchering 12 years ago has become such a stage star that she just appeared before Prince Charles and his wife.

Pollyanne is in the current production of "Carmen" at the Royal Opera House in London, The Daily Mail reported. She has also been in nativity plays.

"Pollyanne is a wonderful donkey and will try her best at absolutely everything," said John McLaren, founder of the Island Farm Refuge in Oxfordshire. "She's got just the right temperament for stage work and doesn't ever get nervous. Somehow she just knows instinctively where she should be and where she should move without being told."

When McLaren bought Pollyanne for 250 pounds (almost $500), she was about to be shipped to Italy to become salami. She had worms and overgrown hooves that put her in pain and made her foul-tempered.

As the donkey recovered physically, McLaren discovered that she had a good stage temperament. As a day job, she gives rides to disabled children.

Pollyanne became a theater professional when a casting company, Animal Ambassadors, discovered her during a church pageant.