Donkey Explained




Scientific and common names


At one time, the synonym ass was the more common term for the donkey. The first recorded use of donkey was in either 1784 or 1785. While the word ass has cognates in most other Indo-European languages, donkey is an etymologically obscure word for which no credible cognate has been identified. Hypotheses on its derivation include the following:

From the 18th century, donkey gradually replaced ass, and jenny replaced she-ass, which is now considered archaic.[1] The change may have come about through a tendency to avoid pejorative terms in speech, and be comparable to the substitution in North American English of rooster for cock, or that of rabbit for coney, which was formerly homophonic with cunny (a variation of the word cunt). By the end of the 17th century, changes in pronunciation of both ass and arse had caused them to become homophones in some varieties of English. Other words used for the ass in English from this time include cuddy in Scotland, neddy in southwest England and dicky in the southeast; moke is documented in the 19th century, and may be of Welsh or Gypsy origin.


See also: List of donkey breeds. Donkeys vary considerably in size, depending on breed and management. The height at the withers ranges from, and the weight from 80to. Working donkeys in the poorest countries have a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years; in more prosperous countries, they may have a lifespan of 30 to 50 years.

Donkeys are adapted to marginal desert lands. Unlike wild and feral horses, wild donkeys in dry areas are solitary and do not form harems. Each adult donkey establishes a home range; breeding over a large area may be dominated by one jack. The loud call or bray of the donkey, which typically lasts for twenty seconds and can be heard for over three kilometres, may help keep in contact with other donkeys over the wide spaces of the desert.[2] Donkeys have large ears, which may pick up more distant sounds, and may help cool the donkey's blood.[3] Donkeys can defend themselves by biting, striking with the front hooves or kicking with the hind legs.


A jenny is normally pregnant for about 12 months, though the gestation period varies from 11 to 14 months,[4] and usually gives birth to a single foal. Births of twins are rare, though less so than in horses. About 1.7 percent of donkey pregnancies result in twins; both foals survive in about 14 percent of those.[5] In general jennies have a conception rate that is lower than that of horses (i.e., less than the 60–65% rate for mares).











Present status

About 41 million donkeys were reported worldwide in 2006. China had the most with 11 million, followed by Pakistan, Ethiopia and Mexico. As of 2017, however, the Chinese population was reported to have dropped to 3 million, with African populations under pressure as well, due to increasing trade and demand for donkey products in China.[12] Some researchers believe the actual number may be somewhat higher since many donkeys go uncounted. The number of breeds and percentage of world population for each of the FAO's world regions was in 2006:

Region No. of breeds % of world pop.
Africa 26 26.9
Asia and Pacific 32 37.6
Europe and the Caucasus 51 3.7
Latin America and the Caribbean 24 19.9
Near and Middle East 47 11.8
United States and Canada 5 0.1
World 185 41 million head


The Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS) of the FAO listed 189 breeds of ass in June 2011. In 2000 the number of breeds of donkey recorded worldwide was 97, and in 1995 it was 77. The rapid increase is attributed to attention paid to identification and recognition of donkey breeds by the FAO's Animal Genetic Resources project. The rate of recognition of new breeds has been particularly high in some developed countries. In France, for example, only one breed, the Baudet de Poitou, was recognised prior to the early 1990s; by 2005, a further six donkey breeds had official recognition.


See also: List of donkey breeds.


Economic use

The donkey has been used as a working animal for at least 5000 years. Of the more than 40 million donkeys in the world, about 96% are in underdeveloped countries, where they are used principally as pack animals or for draught work in transport or agriculture. After human labour, the donkey is the cheapest form of agricultural power. They may also be ridden, or used for threshing, raising water, milling and other work. Working donkeys are often associated with those living at or below subsistence levels. Some cultures that prohibit women from working with oxen in agriculture do not extend this taboo to donkeys, allowing them to be used by both sexes.


A few donkeys are milked or raised for meat. Approximately 3.5 million donkeys and mules are slaughtered each year for meat wordwide.[13] In Italy, which has the highest consumption of equine meat in Europe and where donkey meat is the main ingredient of several regional dishes, about 1000 donkeys were slaughtered in 2010, yielding approximately 100 tonnes of meat. Asses' milk may command good prices: the average price in Italy in 2009 was €15 per litre, and a price of €6 per 100 ml was reported from Croatia in 2008; it is used for soaps and cosmetics as well as dietary purposes. The niche markets for both milk and meat are expanding. In the past, donkey skin was used in the production of parchment. In 2017, the UK based charity The Donkey Sanctuary estimated that 1.8 million skins were traded every year, but the demand could be as high as 10 million.[14]



In 2019, The Donkey Sanctuary warned that the global donkey population could be reduced by half over the next half decade as the demand for ejiao increases in China.[15] [16]

In warfare






Donkey hooves are more elastic than those of horses, and do not naturally wear down as fast. Regular clipping may be required; neglect can lead to permanent damage. Working donkeys may need to be shod. Donkey shoes are similar to horseshoes, but usually smaller and without toe-clips.


In their native arid and semi-arid climates, donkeys spend more than half of each day foraging and feeding, often on poor quality scrub. The donkey has a tough digestive system in which roughage is efficiently broken down by hind gut fermentation, microbial action in the caecum and large intestine. While there is no marked structural difference between the gastro-intestinal tract of a donkey and that of a horse, the digestion of the donkey is more efficient. It needs less food than a horse or pony of comparable height and weight, approximately 1.5 percent of body weight per day in dry matter, compared to the 2–2.5 percent consumption rate possible for a horse.[17] Donkeys are also less prone to colic. The reasons for this difference are not fully understood; the donkey may have different intestinal flora to the horse, or a longer gut retention time.

Donkeys obtain most of their energy from structural carbohydrates. Some suggest that a donkey needs to be fed only straw (preferably barley straw), supplemented with controlled grazing in the summer or hay in the winter, to get all the energy, protein, fat and vitamins it requires; others recommend some grain to be fed, particularly to working animals, and others advise against feeding straw. They do best when allowed to consume small amounts of food over long periods. They can meet their nutritional needs on 6 to 7 hours of grazing per day on average dryland pasture that is not stressed by drought. If they are worked long hours or do not have access to pasture, they require hay or a similar dried forage, with no more than a 1:4 ratio of legumes to grass. They also require salt and mineral supplements, and access to clean, fresh water.[18] In temperate climates the forage available is often too abundant and too rich; over-feeding may cause weight gain and obesity, and lead to metabolic disorders such as founder (laminitis[19]) and hyperlipaemia, or to gastric ulcers.

Throughout the world, working donkeys are associated with the very poor, with those living at or below subsistence level. Few receive adequate food, and in general donkeys throughout the Third World are under-nourished and over-worked.


In the Iberian Peninsula and the Americas, a Spanish; Castilian: burro is a small donkey. The Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS) of the FAO lists the burro as a specific breed of ass.[20] In Mexico, the donkey population is estimated at three million.[21] There are also substantial burro populations in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua.

Burro is the Spanish and Portuguese word for donkey. In Spanish, burros may also be called Spanish; Castilian: burro {{sic|mexicano|hide=y|reason=Adjectival forms of nationalities are not capitalized in Spanish ('Mexican donkey'), Spanish; Castilian: burro criollo ('Criollo donkey'), or Spanish; Castilian: burro criollo {{sic|mexicano|hide=y|reason=Adjectival forms of nationalities are not capitalized in Spanish. In the United States, "burro" is used as a loan word by English speakers to describe any small donkey used primarily as a pack animal, as well as to describe the feral donkeys that live in Arizona, California, Oregon, Utah, Texas and Nevada.

Among donkeys, burros tend to be on the small side. A study of working burros in central Mexico found a weight range of 50–, with an average weight of 122kg (269lb) for males and 112kg (247lb) for females. Height at the withers varied from 87cm–120cmcm (34inches–50inchescm), with an average of approximately 108cm (43inches), and girth measurements ranged from 88cm–152cmcm (35inches–60inchescm), with an average of about 120cm (50inches). The average age of the burros in the study was 6.4 years; evaluated by their teeth, they ranged from 1 to 17 years old. They are gray in color. Mexican burros tend to be smaller than their counterparts in the US, which are both larger and more robust. To strengthen their bloodstock, in May 2005, the state of Jalisco imported 11 male and female donkeys from Kentucky.

Feral donkeys and wild asses

In some areas domestic donkeys have returned to the wild and established feral populations such as those of the Burro of North America and the Asinara donkey of Sardinia, Italy, both of which have protected status. Feral donkeys can also cause problems, notably in environments that have evolved free of any form of equid, such as Hawaii. In Australia, where there may be 5 million feral donkeys, they are regarded as an invasive pest and have a serious impact on the environment. They may compete with livestock and native animals for resources, spread weeds and diseases, foul or damage watering holes and cause erosion.

Wild asses, onagers, and kiangs

Few species of ass exist in the wild. The African wild ass, Equus africanus, has two subspecies, the Somali wild ass, Equus africanus somaliensis, and the Nubian wild ass, Equus africanus africanus, the principal ancestor of the domestic donkey. Both are critically endangered. Extinct species include the European ass, Equus hydruntinus, which became extinct during the Neolithic, and the North African wild ass, Equus africanus atlanticus, which became extinct in Roman times.


Donkey hybrids


Horse-donkey hybrids are almost always sterile because horses have 64 chromosomes whereas donkeys have 62, producing offspring with 63 chromosomes. Mules are much more common than hinnies. This is believed to be caused by two factors, the first being proven in cat hybrids, that when the chromosome count of the male is the higher, fertility rates drop. The lower progesterone production of the jenny may also lead to early embryonic loss. In addition, there are reasons not directly related to reproductive biology. Due to different mating behavior, jacks are often more willing to cover mares than stallions are to breed jennies. Further, mares are usually larger than jennies and thus have more room for the ensuing foal to grow in the womb, resulting in a larger animal at birth. It is commonly believed that mules are more easily handled and also physically stronger than hinnies, making them more desirable for breeders to produce.


See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Eselin . German-English Dictionary .
  2. Web site: Adaption of Donkeys. May 4, 2015. BioWeb.
  3. Web site: Donkey Facts. May 4, 2015. Mike's Donkeys.
  4. Web site: Sewell, Sybil E. "Foaling out the Donkey Jennet," Alberta Donkey and Web page accessed March 4, 2008 . August 25, 2015 . . August 25, 2015 . dead .
  5. Web site: Twins and Donkeys. May 4, 2015 . Rams Horn Studio.
  6. Web site: Rachau, Jeanine A. "Gestation and Foaling of Donkeys" . 2015-08-25 . . 2009-04-12 . dead .
  7. Web site: Training Donkeys. May 4, 2015. Harts Horsemanship.
  8. Web site: About Donkeys Breeds of Donkeys. World. Livestock Of The. January 23, 2017.
  9. Azzaroli . A. . 1992 . Ascent and decline of monodactyl equids: a case for prehistoric overkill . Ann. Zool. Finnici . 28 . 151–163 .
  10. Recalibrating Equus evolution using the genome sequence of an early Middle Pleistocene horse . Orlando. L.. Ginolhac. A.. Zhang. G.. Froese. D.. Albrechtsen. A.. Stiller. M.. Schubert. M.. Cappellini. E.. Petersen. B.. Nature. 4 July 2013 . 10.1038/nature12323 . 23803765 . 499 . 7456 . 74–8. etal. 2013Natur.499...74O.
  11. Weinstock . J. . 2005 . Evolution, systematics, and phylogeography of Pleistocene horses in the New World: a molecular perspective . . 3 . 8 . e241 . 10.1371/journal.pbio.0030241 . 15974804 . 1159165 . etal.
  12. News: Donkeys face 'biggest ever crisis'. Leithead. Alastair. 2017-10-07. BBC News. 2017-10-07. en-GB.
  13. Web site: FAOSTAT. 2019-10-25.
  14. News: Why are donkeys facing their 'biggest ever crisis'?. Leithead. Alastair. 7 October 2017. BBC News. 7 October 2017.
  15. News: World's donkeys being 'decimated' by demand for Chinese medicine. The Guardian. November 20, 2019. Murray. Jessica. November 28, 2019.
  16. News: Lesté-Lasserre. Christa . December 12, 2019 . Chinese trade in hides has led to global donkey massacre. . January 24, 2020.
  19. "Feeding Your Donkey"
  20. Web site: Breeds from species: Ass . Domestic Animal Diversity Information System . Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) . April 28, 2016 .