Update: J.B. Continues To Do Well

May 5, 2009

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J.B., the baby donkey born within minutes of his mother being shot, is now in his second day of life and is doing well. He’s also become quite a little star, capturing the attention of media locally and around the world.

“He is doing very well,” Lindley Barden, J.B.’s caretaker and adoptive mother told NorthEscambia.com Monday night. “One day has given us more reasons to be optimistic about his future.”

Often sleeping next to J.B. on an air mattress, Barden is bottle feeding the tiny white donkey once per hour, every hour. It’s a process that will go on for about a week.

“He knows that I am not his regular momma, but he’s really bonded to me,” she said. During Monday’s storm, J.B. stayed close for comfort — it was his first storm and having his adopted mom around really seemed to make things better for him.

Bardin is keeping J.B. inside her home, and she says it will be about a week before “he is out of the woods”. He never received milk from his mother, so he’s missing vital colostrum from his mother that contain antibodies important for his survival. He wears a blue bandage around his neck, covering an IV needle inserted by a veterinarian to provide the colostrum.

“It was a very exhausting day,” Bardin said. “We did several TV interviews today. That really wore him out. Before the last one was over, he was up on his pillows asleep.”

NorthEscambia.com was the first to report J.B.’s story Monday morning. Since then, he’s made other publications and local television news. He’s also made news around the world, including HorseTalk magazine in New Zealand.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the shooting of J.B.’s mother. A 17-year old white male juvenile from Cantonment has confessed to the shooting on River Annex Road near Jacks Branch Road. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department says the juvenile will be charged with cruelty to animals causing death, using a weapon during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a person under 18. His arrest is imminent, deputies said. As of very early Tuesday morning, the juvenile was not in custody.

A .22 caliber weapon used in the shooting was given to sheriff’s deputies by a witness.

For more about J.B. and the shooting incident, click here.

Panhandle Equine Rescue’s mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and provide adoption services for abused, neglected and abandoned equines. PER is authorized by the Escambia County court system to investigate equine reports in the county.

Donations are being accepted to help pay the vet bill or anyone interested in sponsoring J.B.. Checks or money orders can be sent to PER, P.O. Box 777, Cantonment, FL 32533 or you can visit www.panhandleequinerescue.org for more information.

Pictured above: One of the first photos of J.B. taken Sunday by NorthEscambia.com during our exclusive visit to Panhandle Equine Rescue in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Comments

14 Responses to “Update: J.B. Continues To Do Well”

  1. outside looking in on May 6th, 2009 7:54 am

    if there are 2 shooters both should be charged. For the person who knows the detai think about this, by letting someone get away with a crime you are giving them the chance to commit another crime what if it is against you or yours

  2. Baffled on May 5th, 2009 5:30 pm

    You said it “neighbor”. Everybody should stop being so hateful and just pray for these people.

  3. neighbor on May 5th, 2009 5:13 pm

    I’ve been reading the coments posted and I have to say that as a christian I can only feel for the family of these boys and I pray for everyone involved. You can’t wish hateful things on people just because they aren’t handling things the way you think they should. The majority of the time these things happen because there have been serious problems in the family environment to begin with and the kids act out getting more an more dangerous as they go for attention, they get involved in drugs and obviously can’t handle it, or sometimes it’s just unexplainable. Either way it’s tragic for everyone concerned and none of them need criticism but instead prayer.
    Prayer that they get past this, learn from their mistakes and become responsible citizens of this community instead of a burden.
    Prayer that they come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior and to know that when nothing else can get us out of the messes we create in our lives Jesus can and will if you come to him and allow him into your heart.
    I will be praying for you.

  4. Concerned parent on May 5th, 2009 2:51 pm

    How torn up was he when he shot the donkey? Obviously not very because he ran and tried to hide.

    Guess, you are acting as if the boy who, so far as we have been told, was “along for the ride” is just as guilty as the boy who pulled the trigger and that is just plain ridiculous. The boy who shot the donkey is the one who did it and he is the one who deserves everything that is being said about him. The other boy is an accessory, but he is NOT guilty of taking the jenny’s life or making the baby an orphan. The blame for that lies squarely on the shooter.

  5. guess who on May 5th, 2009 2:30 pm

    Responding to Guest! I happen to know the mother of this boy and I disagree with you. She is not perfect and has never said she was, but she is a good mother. She loves her children as much as any other caring mother. She stands by their side just like a caring Mom would. She tries very hard to direct them in the right way. To me, that says a lot in itself. People should not attack her. Every person makes mistakes and has regrets. That is how you learn. The entire family has had to fight many battles, go through some really tough times, but they still love each other so much. Don’t forget the boys father? I haven’t seen him ever visit those boys or stop by to say hi. The last conversation I had with the mother, the father basically has had nothing to do with these boys in years. The older boy tries to have a relationship with his Dad, but the other boy has gave up trying. Her and her family is going throuh mortal he-l right now. They know this was wrong, but people should leave them alone and stop making this worse on them. The boy and his family is torn up enough over this and needs some time to deal with this.

  6. guest on May 5th, 2009 2:26 pm

    Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff Department at 436-9620.

  7. guest on May 5th, 2009 1:38 pm

    Withholding information is wrong and illegal also. If you want others to tell the truth, you should also.

  8. Confused on May 5th, 2009 1:35 pm

    Guess Who,
    Obviously you know who this person is since you’re using their initials but to be honest you aren’t anymore in the right than those boys are. You should step up and let people know what’s “really” going on if the story is different. Someone getting off scott-free is the same thing as the wrong person going to jail. It really gets under my skin that you know “something” everyone else doesn’t know but won’t let the authorities know. What kind of citizen is that?
    I know I would apprecitate it, and I’m sure so would many others.

  9. Confused on May 5th, 2009 1:32 pm

    Guess Who,
    Obviously you know this person since you are using their initials but to be honest I don’t think that you are anymore in the right than those boys. You should step up and let everyone know what is “really” going on if you have the information. This is exactly how the wrong people go to jail.

  10. guess who on May 5th, 2009 12:44 pm

    In response to “Confused”. I am hoping that this person (Witness) will come forward on his own and admit his involvement, but the truth will come out soon. Investigators are pretty smart and they will soon see that this witness knows more than what he is telling. It’s wrong what they did, but putting 100% of the blame on his friend only to make himself look innocent is going to backfire on him. I just hope the so-called “Witness” realizes what penalties he is going to suffer from by not being honest. Tell the truth JAN!!!!!!!!!

  11. Confused on May 5th, 2009 10:17 am

    This is a reply to “Guess Who”. If you KNOW for a FACT that there was 2 shooters and someone else is guilty, why haven’t YOU stepped forward? If there is more truth to the story than other members of this community would appreciate it if you could come forward and tell the truth also. You can’t convict others of perjury or cowardness if you are sitting in your living room, typing on a computer instead of calling the sherrif’s department. This is a horrible crime with a lot of hear-say going on between the police and the media and other people. I deffinately agree that the people that committed this crime should get what they have coming but we should also know who those correct people are. I know I would appreciate it as a fellow person that lives in this area if you would also come forward and say what you know to someone that matters, not just a computer. Thank-you for your interest in this story and this community.

  12. guess who on May 5th, 2009 9:25 am

    I know the two boys who are involved in this horrible crime and I also know for a FACT that the so called “Witness” in this case is one of the boys that shot the Donkey as well. There was more than one shooter and everyone needs to know it. To the so called, “Witness” how can you put all the blame on the one person you refer to as your friend? AJN, you are a horrible person and I hope God punishes you for the rest of your life to the fullest extent. The police will find out that you are just as guilty as your friend. There is a penalty of up to 5 years for perjury and unless you confess to the truth and own up to what you’ve done, all I can say is God help you. I hope you rot!!!! Trust me, you will get what you deserve in the long run. God will see to it.

  13. Kevin on May 5th, 2009 9:23 am

    i hate people who mistreat animals. i think animal cruelty punishment should be like and or basically the same thing as murder to a human. that is a living thing on this earth and if we took more into looks on punishment maybe people would treat animals better

  14. guest on May 5th, 2009 7:49 am

    The kid who did this is a thug, his brother is a bigger thug………..and their mother is the biggest enabler in the County………..throw them in jail,,,,,it will prevent more crimes in the future.