Animal lovers have raised the money to pin the tail back on a donkey after it was hacked off by "barbaric" intruders.

Eeyore the jack donkey was left with spinal fluid leaking from his tail when a brute broke into his paddock in the middle of the night to chop it off.

His owner couldn't afford the vets bills - but an animal shelter adopted Eeyore to nurse him back to health.

In just 24 hours, the Green Acres Animal Rescue Centre managed to raise the £1,000 needed to fund Eeyore's major surgery (to donate to the see: http://www.greenacresrescue.org.uk/donating).

Their supporters donated online after reading about poor Eeyore's lost tail on facebook.

Natalie Thomas, 33, looks after Eeyore, who is believed to be about 10 years old, at the animal shelter in Pembrokeshire.

She said: "It is beyond my imagination to try to think why anyone would think to chop off a donkey's tail like this.

"It's barbaric. A donkey's tail is mostly bone and so we can only imagine the horrific pain this poor guy has been through.

"His owners came to us for help because they couldn't afford the vets bills to put him back together.

"The police were called but they had no leads to follow. It was a total mystery who did this to Eeyore and why."

Now vets from the specialist Cotts Equine Hospital in Narberth, West Wales, are preparing to operate on Eeyore.

Some more of his bone will be removed so that the excess skin can be sew up to give him a docked tail.

Natalie added: "When Eeyore is all healed he should have another 15 or 20 years of life left to enjoy.

"He is such a wonderful, gentle animal.

"Despite being in a lot of pain he stands calmly as we change his dressing every day and he loves all the volunteers.

"I can't thank our supporters enough for their help.

"Now Eeyore's future is secure and I hope he'll be very happy."

When Eeyore is fully recovered he will be available for adoption from the Green Acres Animal Rescue Centre in Haverfordwest.