Month-old pony moves into 4th-floor apartment in Croatia
Rovinj, June 16: A month-old pony named Mile has become an unusual temporary resident of a fourth-floor apartment in Rovinj, a coastal town in northern Croatia, after being rejected by his mother at birth and requiring intensive care following a life-threatening infection.
Mile’s owners, Andjelka Josipovic and Kristijan Jelenic, are caring for him around the clock in their one-bedroom flat, which they share with their two sons and a dog.
The foal needs feeding every two hours, with milk warmed before each feeding. According to Josipovic, the pony will even wake them up if they forget, coming to them for attention and food.
The foal recently underwent surgery in neighbouring Slovenia, where his treatment was funded through public donations. His condition had initially been critical, with a veterinarian reportedly suggesting euthanasia on the first night.
However, Josipovic insisted on continuing treatment, hoping he would survive until morning. Since then, Mile has shown steady improvement, gaining weight and displaying a strong appetite and energetic behaviour.
Despite the unusual arrangement, the family says the pony has adapted well to life in the apartment.
Mile spends his days at the family’s small ranch in Bale, about 15 kilometres from Rovinj, where they keep other animals including llamas, pigs, horses and sheep. In the evenings, he is transported back to the apartment, often riding in the back seat of their car.
Inside the flat, Mile sleeps on a mattress or sofa, and his caretakers say living with him is comparable to having a small household pet due to his current size of about 16 kilograms.
The family emphasises that the arrangement is temporary and necessary for his recovery.
Neighbours in the residential area have reportedly shown no objections to the unusual situation, even though the pony’s presence in a multi-storey apartment building has attracted attention. Josipovic remains hopeful that Mile will continue to recover and become strong enough to return permanently to the ranch within the next few weeks.
Jelenic noted that once the pony grows bigger, keeping him in the apartment will no longer be possible, and they hope he will be healthy enough by then to live full-time with the other animals at their farm. (AP)
