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Home page > The Donkey's FAQs
The Donkey's FAQs
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The Donkey's History
Donkeys are related to horses, ponies and
zebras. When well looked after, they can live for a very long
time, even 50 years!
Donkeys are often thought to be stubborn and stupid, but people who keep them
will tell you they are highly intelligent and 'single minded'. This means that, unlike horses, they cannot be
forced to go into dangerous situations.
Donkeys were one of the first draught animals used by man; to ride
upon, carry burdens, pull carts, and plough the fields, as can be seen
illustrated in ancient cave paintings across Europe and Africa.
Donkeys have been used
through the centuries for work and are considered very valuable animals in many countries throughout the
World and in some areas, donkeys are still the most common form of transport.
The owner's donkey is his tractor, family car, shopping trolley, guard
and companion.
< Our 'Sinbad'
- A typical donkey, strong, intelligent and kind |
| Donkeys have been featured in
literature from the earliest times to the present day. An
indication of their importance in Society. We are all very
familiar with the Christmas Story and the donkeys mentioned in the Bible.
Robert
Louis Stevenson
wrote the fascinating 'Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes' and
Mark Twain wrote, 'The
donkeys were all good, all handsome, all strong and in good
condition, all fast and all willing to prove it.' (Innocents
Abroad. Chapter LVIII).
There's
also a donkey in the famed and extraordinary story of 'Don Quixote' by Miguel de Cervantes!
Most donkeys have
a special marking in the form of a darker coloured cross on their
back.
Traditionally, this marking is thought to indicate they are sacred animals, a donkey having carried Jesus Christ on Palm
Sunday prior to his crucifixion.
'Mavis' - A gentle
jenny with a sweet nature >
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Facts about donkeys
Female donkeys are called 'Jennies' and males are called 'Jacks' and
their babies are called foals, ('Jack' foals or 'Jenny'
foals). Donkeys, are also sometimes referred to as asses.
Donkeys come in different sizes. The Miniature Donkey should be
under 90 centimetres (36 inches) tall, weighing about 60 kilos
while other donkeys can vary in size from one metre (39 inches) to
one and a half metres (60 inches) tall at the shoulder and
weighing up to 480 kilos. The American Mammoth Donkeys are 170cm
(67 inches) tall. They can live for thirty to fifty years
when well cared for in captivity or about
ten to twenty-five years in the wild.
< 'Peanuts', our miniature
donkey enjoying his breakfast! |
| They have very tough hooves so they don’t need to be shod like
horses but their hooves should be trimmed by the blacksmith
regularly to keep them in good condition. At least every six to
eight weeks. Donkeys have a very loud, distinctive braying voice that sounds like
'Hee-Haw'!
This voice is useful in the wild where they
wander in ones or twos, apart from
each other, rather than in close herds like horses and zebras. So
this is probably why they have developed
their loud voices which can carry up to three kilometres!
Their
hearing is very acute too and their long ears must also help them to hear over
an even longer distance.
'Sinbad'
- Dozing in the sun! > |
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Donkeys are hardy animals and in
the United Kingdom's climate can live out of doors all the time. Preferably in a sheltered paddock which must contain a sturdy and
safe field shelter. This will provide the donkey with shade in
summer and shelter from storms, heavy rain and snows in the
winter.
Donkeys are very clean in a stable or shelter, usually relieving themselves in one chosen
corner, which is easily removed. A clean bed of straw in another
corner is appreciated at all times!
Of course - it should go without
saying that clean fresh water should always be available for a
Donkey.
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