Donkey

Both domesticated donkeys and African wild asses are herbivores that eat grasses, shrubs, and desert plants.

At the Zoo, donkeys receive mixed grass hay and specially formulated herbivore pellets.

A donkey is a domesticated wild ass and therefore found wherever people have chosen to care for them or work with them. Wild asses are currently found in the northeastern part of Africa, in Eritrea and Ethiopia

Miniature donkeys were native to the Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Sardinia and were first imported into the United States in 1929 by Robert Green.

The primary habitat for wild asses is dry grasslands and brushland.

Predators of African wild asses include lions and wolves. They gather in groups to reduce the risk of predation and to help keep their young safe.

Domesticated donkeys do not have a conservation status. African wild asses are listed as critically endangered due to over-hunting and habitat loss.

Donkeys and wild asses have large heads and a mane that stands up along the back of their necks. Unlike some other animals, they don’t have bangs (forelocks). The fur can be straight, curly, long, or short, and the texture can be smooth or wiry. With their strong lips, donkeys can grab and pull plants into their mouths, where their special teeth help them chew.

Both domesticated and wild donkeys have eyes positioned on the sides of their heads. This gives them a wide view of their surroundings. They can see two different areas at the same time or focus on something directly in front of them with both eyes. However, they have blind spots right in front of and behind them. Donkeys also have excellent hearing, and their ears can move around to find where sounds are coming from. Their long ears help keep them cool, which is useful since they often live in hot, dry areas.

Donkeys and their wild counterparts have small hooves that let them walk easily on rocky ground. They rely a lot on their sense of touch, which is very important for understanding what their human handlers want. The areas where they are most sensitive to touch include around their eyes, ears, nose, shoulders, ribs, sides, and legs.

African wild asses live in groups called herds, which usually have one mature male and several females with their young. Female foals often stay with their mothers for life, while male foals are pushed out by the dominant male. These males then leave to form their own herds.

Females are able to breed almost all year but only give birth once a year after a long pregnancy of about 11 months. They usually have one foal that weighs between 18 and 24 pounds, and twins are very rare. The foals can stand and start nursing within 30 minutes of being born, and they stay close to their mothers for about a month. As they grow more independent, they will spend more time apart and are fully weaned (no longer needing their mother’s milk) by 12 to 14 months. By that time, their mothers may have a new foal and can’t feed them anymore.

Domesticated donkeys can have different herd structures and mating behaviors based on how the people looking after them take care of them.

Donkeys communicate in a variety of ways, including movement of their tail and ears. Male donkeys may bite other males to defend their territories. With members of their own group, they will often lean on one another or touch muzzles. Their excellent hearing allows them to hear the distinctive “hee-haw” of another donkey almost two miles away!

Though they have a reputation for being stubborn, these intelligent animals are just very observant and cautious. They will refuse to do anything that appears threatening. When a wild ass or donkey is startled by something, their instinct is to freeze or run a few steps and then look to see what the threat is before acting.
Domesticated donkeys are loyal and dependable, and are also used to guard sheep and goats from wild dogs, coyotes, and foxes.