Donkey

Long ago, all donkeys were wild.

They lived in dry, rocky lands in Africa. People tamed them. Now donkeys live with people all over the world.

The donkey's wild ancestor is the African wild ass, which lives in hot, rocky deserts in northeastern Africa. People there began using wild asses to carry loads at least 6,000 years ago, and over time they became donkeys.

Today donkeys live with people on every continent except Antarctica. In places where horses do not do well, or where families cannot afford horses, donkeys are the main animals for carrying goods and people. Some donkeys have escaped and live free as feral donkeys.

Donkeys descend from the African wild ass of northeastern Africa, and Britannica records their use as beasts of burden since at least 4000 BCE. Domestic donkeys are now kept worldwide, and where horses cannot easily survive or where poverty prevents people from owning horses, donkeys are the main pack and transport animals.

The wild ass survives only in tiny numbers: the IUCN lists it as extant in Eritrea and Ethiopia and of uncertain presence in Djibouti, Egypt, Somalia and Sudan. Feral donkeys, descended from escaped or abandoned animals, live in various parts of the world, including large populations in the western United States. The map shows where domestic donkeys are kept, by continent, with a feral example as a separate layer.

Donkeys eat grass, hay and tough plants.

They can find food in dry places where there is not much to eat.

Donkeys are grazers and browsers: they eat grass, hay and the tough, dry plants that grow in deserts and on rocky hills. Their wild ancestors live in dry places with little rain, and donkeys too can live on poor, dry food.

Like horses and zebras, donkeys break down tough plant fibers with the help of tiny microbes in a large part of their gut after the stomach. To do this well they need plenty of fiber and access to water.

Donkeys feed on grasses and coarse, fibrous vegetation, an inheritance from the arid habitats of the African wild ass, where rainfall is low and forage sparse. Like other equids they are hindgut fermenters: symbiotic bacteria in the cecum, beyond the stomach, break down cellulose.

The Smithsonian notes that hindgut fermenters such as zebras and donkeys need large amounts of water and low-quality food. Their hardiness helps explain their importance to people living in dry regions. Feral donkeys can also dig small watering holes that later become oases for desert plants and animals.

Donkeys say 'hee-haw!' It is called a bray.

They bray to call to friends far away. Donkeys like to have a friend nearby.

Donkeys are famous for their loud 'hee-haw', called a bray. Braying lets donkeys call to each other over long distances in open country. Male donkeys bray especially to call females.

In the wild and in feral groups, a herd often has one male with several females and their young. Herds vary in size, but a typical one has a male and about ten females. Mother donkeys stay close to their young and move nearer to them when they sense danger.

Animal Diversity Web describes polygynous herds, typically one male with several females, and notes that vocalization is the most effective way males attract mates; the bray carries well across open, arid landscapes. Visual and physical contact also play a role in courtship.

Among African wild asses, many daughters remain with their mothers for life, while sons are driven out by the leading male. In domestic donkeys, ADW reports that jennies move closer to their young when they sense a threat, even after the first year, and that domestic jennies often synchronize their cycles.

Donkeys help many families every day.

They carry water, wood and food. Some donkeys help on farms, and some are just good friends.

Donkeys have worked for people for at least 6,000 years. In many parts of the world they still carry water, firewood, crops and goods to market, and pull carts. Where roads are rough or families cannot afford a horse or a car, a donkey can make a huge difference.

People also breed donkeys with horses. A male donkey and a female horse have a baby called a mule, which is strong like a horse and sure-footed like a donkey.

Donkeys have been beasts of burden since at least 4000 BCE, and Britannica notes that where horses cannot easily survive, or where poverty prevents people from owning horses, donkeys remain the main means of transport and carrying loads. Their low cost, hardiness and sure-footedness make them vital to many rural economies today.

Mules, hybrids of a male donkey and a female horse, combine the size and strength of horses with the hardiness of donkeys. Good care for working donkeys means suitable loads, food, water and rest.