* A bit of history : the origins of the donkey
* descriptive morphology
* a look at the different races
* the various uses of the donkey
*A note on the decline and come-back of the donkeyand besides
Soon on line :
donkeys and culture
legend corner
popular traditions
fable corner
* A BIBLIOGRAPHY
* the races in detail
* health and care
* behaviour
* breeding, etc., etc.
Wild races (asses)
The African wild ass
These asses are to be found essentially in the arid areas of the Horn of Africa. There are usually considered to be two sub-species : Nubian and Somalian asses.
In Roman times, the crossing of domestic donkeys, which have reverted to the wild, with Algerian wild ass has practically led to the disappearance of this wild species. In similar fashion, the wild asses of Nubia and East Sudan are on the way to extinction. It is considered, however, that in Ethiopia some 2000 of these animals, and in Somalia around 250, still survive in the very dry and stony regions of these countries. Competition with domestic donkeys for the use of the all too rare pastures is a factor limiting their survival.The Asian wild ass
This is generally called "dziggetai", from its Mongolian name. The scientific name is equus hemionus, from the Greek word meaning "half-ass." Its origin is disputed, but nowadays it belongs more to the ass than the horse family.
Domestic races (donkeys)
The African race, which perhaps originated in Egypt, spread over the whole world because of its aptitude for work. Measuring I to 1.5 metres, its coat is usually mouse-grey, marked with a darker cross, but other colours exist (particularly white).French races
In France there exist, to date, six races of donkey officially recognized by the national studs :
The Poitou donkey, which up to 1994 was the only recognized race
The Berry donkey
The grey Provence donkey
The Pyrenean donkey
The Cotentin and the
Normandy donkeys
* On the other hand, the donkey's special anatomy depending on the race, its spine has at least one lumbar vertebra less than the horse, giving it extra strength makes it a very good carrier. It is particularly appreciated in mountainous regions because of its sure foot on steep, stony paths.
* In France, the donkey helped in ploughing fields up to the first decades of the 20th century and in the transport of wood down from steep mountain slopes.
* It is also much appreciated by Mediterranean wine-growers as a draught animal.
In the plains of Texas, it was used to guard flocks of sheep, because it had been noticed that, without any special training, the donkey had the instinct to chase away coyotes and dogs. Just by being put out to graze with the sheep, it adopted them and defended them against all dangers.
To-day there are said to be still 1800 shepherd's donkeys working at the other side of the Atlantic
Some shepherds on the Larzac plateau in France had the idea of having donkeys to guard their flocks. They abandoned the idea when, after a time, it became impossible to bring the flock in : one of the she-donkeys protected it so well that she prevented the shepherd from approaching the flock.
* The pilgrim's companion : the donkey is the faithful companion of pilgrimages, the most well-known in our time being that of Santiago de Compostela which some continue to accomplish on foot in company of a donkey.
* The donkey has been used by canal boatmen in the French region of Berry, whose barges it gallantly towed.
* Very often, the donkey also carried loads of salt for both legitimate salt merchants and smugglers.
* Donkeys and the army : the army has always used donkeys, firstly because of their sure foot on steep mountain trails, but also by reaon of their capacity for carrying heavy loads.
* In our time, the donkey has found another job, accompanying hikers on their walking holidays. He has become a companion for leisure activities : his gentle nature, robustness, small size and sure foot make the donkey an ideal mount for children.
* donkey milk
In certain parts of the world, donkey milk is used for feeding infants, its composition being close to that of human milk. The jenny gives about 3 to 6 litres of milk per day. Donkey milk is very nourishing, because it contains more milk sugar and less fat than cow milk.
The quality of donkey milk is also appreciated in skin care. Texts from classical times inform us that Cleopatra bathed in it as a beauty treatment. Two hundred lactating jennies, no less, were needed to provide milk for her baths.
In our time, donkey milk is used to make skin-care soaps.
*manure
The donkey produces manure which is used to enrich cultivated land. It is a "warm" manure, unlike the "cold" bovine and porcine manure, and is particularly sought for in the case of land which is cold and damp.* skin
Donkey skin, which is at once fine, strong, resistant and elastic, used to be tanned to make drums, sieves and shoes, as well as thick parchments.
* meat
Donkey meat is mainly used to make sausages.
The donkey has always been man's working companion. Its demographic high point in France was towards the end of the XIXth century, when a great agricultural census shows a total stock of 400 OOO heads (and almost as many mules), the highest concentrations being in the departments of the centre and south of France. At the time, it is true, France counted more than two million farms of less than 5 hectares.
Rural exodus, mechanisation, the agricultural policy of the EEC, make the donkey redundant. Its numbers dropped in France as a whole (except for Corsica, a mountainous region). The "glorious thirties" were almost fatal to the race, as was the case in Northern Europe. In France there were still 110 000 donkeys in 1946, but only 20 000 in 1980. In 1977, the alarm was sounded in the region of Poitou : the oldest French race, the most prestigious, the only one recognized since 1884 by the national studs, the Poitou donkey or Baudet du Poitou, was on the way to extinction with only 44 pure race animals left.
It was rescue in extremis, thanks to the work of obstinate breeders and enthusiastic vets. The Baudet du Poitou, recognizable among all other donkeys with its long, red-brown coat reaching down to its ankles, is a large sized donkey, strong and well-built. Its title to glory is its aptitude for "covering" strongly built mares which, a year later, will give birth to sure-footed mules, capable of carrying a load 40 % bigger than a horse of the same weight but, like all hybrids, incapable of reproducing. The French army, the biggest customer for mules, decided in the fifties to stop using them. The Baudet du Poitou almost fell victim to its flagrant redundancy.
It's when a race is threatened with extinction that its qualities are re-discovered.The donkey, once despised, is again being developed in France to-day: there are now 35 000 of them, thanks to a small number of enthusiasts and to the use of donkeys in tourist activities.
However, it is since the 90s that the donkey has really made a comeback, despite the mediocre status afforded it for centuries. The new popularity is mainly due to walking enthusiasts.__________
