Genevieve nibbles her last grass
By George Brennan
May 30, 2008
EAST SANDWICH — Genevieve had a penchant for wiggling her corral gate open and sauntering off for a late-night snack of grass.
Early yesterday morning, the feisty and beloved 40-year-old donkey at Wingscorton Farm wandered onto Route 6A, where she was struck and killed by a startled driver at 12:37 a.m.
Dick and Sheila Loring, owners of the farm, are saddened by the loss of their oldest pet. On a 7-acre farm that's home to a horse (Genevieve's corral pal), dozens of sheep, lambs and goats, as well as more than 100 chickens, Genevieve was a prized member of the family.
"She was a love," Dick Loring, 78, said yesterday, just hours after he was roused out of bed by police to collect her 350-pound body. "She had been here the longest."
Sean Whelahan, 37, the driver of the Toyota Camry that struck Genevieve, was on his way home from after closing his restaurant, Kian n' Rylee's Pub & Patio in Hyannis.
The accident happened on a dark stretch of road between the Barnstable town line and Scorton Creek. Genevieve was walking the center line when Whelahan's car slammed into the donkey, smashing a headlight, quarter panel, side mirror and driver's side window.
"If I didn't turn he would have flipped up and right through my windshield," Whelahan said. "... I swerved and then swerved back because of the brush. I didn't want to hit a tree. I was in a state of shock."
Glass from the shattered window hit his face, causing minor cuts. Fragments still littered the dashboard of the Camry parked in his Route 6A driveway.
Whelahan, the father of two young children, said he feels lucky to be alive.
"Kian had his first haircut yesterday and I was saying what a great day it was," he said of his 2-year-old son. "You just don't know how close it is, how fragile it is. I'm very, very fortunate."
Whelahan will not be cited, police said, and he's still working on getting an estimate of the damage to his car. "This is a first for most of the people I've talked to," he said.
Dick and Sheila Loring said it's not unusual for their animals to stray from their pens. A couple of years ago, they were called to a nearby motel when some pigs they were raising at the time entered a guest's room.
Yesterday, Police Chief Michael Miller recalled rounding up about a dozen sheep that had escaped while he was a sergeant 10 years ago.
Genevieve was the first to become a road casualty. She will be given a final resting spot on the farm, along with a llama and a couple of horses that have been buried there.
"Life and death is just such a part of farm life," Dick Loring said. "We lost her last night, but three new baby lambs were born this morning."
Yesterday, the farm was bustling with activity: Tiny lambs suckling on their mothers, a horse chomping a snack out of Sheila Loring's hand and three golden retrievers offering friendly wags to visitors.
Sydney, a 27-year-old horse that shared a corral with Genevieve, was acting strangely, Sheila Loring said. "I think he senses something," she said. "He's making a lot of noise today."
The Lorings re-established the farm in 1980 after it had been dormant for nearly 70 years. The farm, connected to the historic Wing family, dates back to 1750. Its proximity to Scorton Creek gives it the Wingscorton name, Loring said.
The Lorings also operate a bed-and-breakfast out of the main house and a carriage house on the property. They sell eggs to local convenience stores and folks who drop by to plop $3 into a tin can.
And the animals are a draw for young families, Loring said. Genevieve was a favorite.
"We'll miss her," Loring said.
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