Donkeys Definition

A donkey is a mammal in the genus Equus and subgenus asinus. Donkeys are usually a meter to a meter and a half tall in the wild, while domesticated they can reach that height as well. They are adapted and evolved to living in harsh desert weather conditions and their fur is not waterproof. In the wild they do not live in herds, and are adept at hearing, eyesight, and sure footed walking. The modern Donkey is descended from the Nubian donkey subspecies of the African Wild Ass, and it was domesticated around 4000 BCE. The donkey was an important animal for those who dwelled in Egypt and Nubia, as they easily carried 20-30% their own body wight and could be used for farming and as dairy animals. By the 1800s BCE the donkey had reached the middle east and the city Damascus was nicknamed the “City of Asses” due to their prevalence.

By more modern times (1400s) the Donkey had reached the New World - Christopher Columbus brought four males and two females, who then begot the mules used by Spanish conquistadors in their conquests. The donkey, however, did not become popular until the gold rush if the 1840’s and then the mining into mountains. Once this happened, donkeys became the primary locomotion inside mines and hauled gold around for prospectors - along with their equipment. Often times they did not need ropes because they were loyal to humans, having been domesticated nearly six thousand years earlier. In the 20th century they became pets in the U.S. while still maintaining their work status in much of the world that was not yet industrialized - and in the U.S. miniature donkeys were bred and brought in the 1920s, cementing their status as a pet, and more recently a guard animal. Due to human domestication and interaction there are 44 million donkeys today all over the world, with China holding 11 million, followed by Ethiopia and Mexico.

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