World Donkey Day

Today, 8th May, is World Donkey Day. I know every day seems to be a day for something or other, but no animal better deserves celebration than man’s oldest friend the donkey.  Having three donkeys on the farm I have discovered just how special they are.  And not just because they have the softest of velvet muzzles, perfect for me to nuzzle; or that they have the most expressive of ears. Or that they have their own very distinct individual personalities which show themselves in the most endearing of ways. These are matters of sentimentality.  But beyond sentimentality, the donkey, first domesticated thousands of years ago with the advent of agriculture, has always had very considerable economic uses – especially in the developing world.  Sadly in the last 100 or so years, driven by wealthy countries which have had little use for the donkey, this animal has been devalued.

THE STORY OF OUR DONKEYS

We first got Bella after I witnessed her abuse at a nearby farm. The only way to stop it was to buy her. She then needed a friend and so we organised to get another donkey from a farmer in Hopefield. This second donkey, who we called Talulah, arrived with baby Rupert.  They are good friends, with Bella being still very shy. It took her a year to eat from our hands, whereas Rupert, dashes over and literally grabs the food from us.  They are an absolute delight to us all and guests including wedding couples.

ABOUT DONKEYS

Uncastrated male donkeys can be aggressive.

Here Rupert is castrated by the local vet with anxious me waiting for him to come round. Bella and Talulah sympathise with him afterwards.

Donkeys are selective in the food they eat. Ours like what is outside the fence especially. 

 

Donkeys are gentle with other animals, with children and with the disabled.

Donkeys form strong relationships with each other.

Separation from a long term friend may result in a donkey `dying of heartbreak’

A donkey will form a bond with a particular individual who is gentle with it.

Donkeys mature and breed slowly.

Here is Rupert at 6 months and at 4 he is still not fully mature.

Donkeys love to roll in a sandy patch.

Here Bella gives herself a good clean.

Donkeys have such expressive ears 

Donkeys are often portrayed as comical and have played comical roles in our culture eg the donkey in Shrek. They are also man's trusty friend as the donkey in Don Quixote.

 DONKEY FACTS

 ·         Donkeys wild ancestress were found in N E Africa and the Near East and they are therefore adapted to heat and dryness

·         Donkeys can live `donkey's years’ - up to 50 years in fact. This is much longer than horses or any other agricultural animal.

·          A donkey can over its lifetime give 50000 hours’ work which is not a negligible contribution to any household or even national economy

·         Kilogram for kilogram donkeys are stronger even than oxen and can carry one third of one body weight walking all day, even climbing and descending rocky terrain. It can easily pull carts or ploughs.

·       Donkeys are survivors. They can manage not only dry conditions but also poor diet and many disease ridden areas.

·         Donkeys are selective in what they eat and hence may wander far and wide in search for food.

·         Donkeys are territorial and mark territory with urine and manure.

·         Uncastrated male donkeys can be aggressive with other donkeys.

·         Donkeys have delicate skins which can easily be wounded

·         Donkey manure is fibrous and good for stabilizing sandy soil, for building and for fuel when dried.

·         Donkeys are not the same as mules. A mule is a donkey-horse hybrid; the mother a horse, the father a donkey.

·         Donkeys are pregnant for anything between 10 months and 24 months and shouldn’t be separated from its mom for at least 6 months. It reaches full maturity at 5 to 6 years.

·         Donkeys don’t need to be groomed as long as they have a dry sandy place to roll.

·         Donkeys are herd animals and become very unhappy if kept alone. They will stick together either with 3 or 4 friends with whom they form strong relationships. Especially strong is the bond between two same gender donkeys of similar age.  Terrible unhappiness results from separation of such a pair and permanent or long term separation may even cause a donkey to die of heartbreak.
 ·         Donkeys are often seen standing in the middle of the road. This is because they expect traffic to behave as a donkey would, which is to wait until one decides to move.

·         Donkeys are highly intelligent. However while they are happy to work, they are not interested in performance. It is said that it is possible to command a horse, but with a donkey it is necessary to negotiate.  ( Jones p6)

·         Donkeys are often associated in developing countries with women. Not just that both are undervalued, but with the donkey's dislike of harassment it is small wonder that the training and use of donkeys has always fallen primarily to women.

Most  of these facts about donkeys come from Peta Jones’ Donkeys for Development  1997 - Animal Traction Network for Eastern and Southern Africa in conjunction with Agricultural Research Council of South Africa.

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