Donkey

Close relative of the horse, the donkey is also a smart animal. Its long ears are not disadvantage, but gift from the nature. Wild donkeys’ hearing is well-developed and they can hear from afar the approach of their enemy.

Wild donkeys in our country are extinct long ago. Nowadays there are Somalian and Nubian wild donkeys in Ethiopia and its neighbour countries from North Eastern Africa.

Donkeys were first domesticated more than 11 500 years ago.

Domestic donkeys have kept some of its wild ancestors’ habits. They eat not only dry twigs, grass, and thistle but also lush grass, good hay, oat, barley, beet, and carrots.

The colour of the wild donkey is gray or brown to black. Domestic donkey has the same colours, but some species have light gray stripes on their legs, a sign which shows that donkey is distantly related to the African zebras.

The donkey is used as working animal to haul loads for 13 – 14 years of its life, and its lifespan is about 19 years.

Every year the female donkey (called jenny) gives birth to one foal (young donkey) which is sweet animal with big eyes and ears, big head and it is very playful. The foal follows its mother everywhere.

The donkey can be crossbred with a horse. The created animals are called mules. The mules are stronger than donkeys and they are used to haul loads to hardly passable mountain places.