Donkey instead of the ass; at the end, Zhirinovsky beat Proshka with a whip, made the ass move and had a ride on him through the snow-covered backyard of his dacha. International organisations People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and World Animal Protection have accused Zhirinovsky of cruelty to animals. Zhirinovsky replied to the assertions by stating that similar treatment is commonplace in the Arab world and claimed that his ass has been treated "better than many people". Donkey The donkey or ass ("Equus africanus asinus") is a domesticated member of the horse family, Equidae. The wild ancestor of
Equus lambei horse, not an ass. The closest resemblance to "E." "lambei" is shown by the Mongolian horse, "E. caballus przewalskii", now believed to be extinct in the wild. In size and proportions, "E. lambei" resembles "E. caballus przewalskii". Among living horses, perhaps the Yukon horse most closely resembles the Przewalski's horse ("Equus caballus przewalskii") from Mongolia . The upper foot bones (metapodials) of "Equus lambei" are slender compared to Przewalski's horse. The bones of "E. lambei" also closely resemble the proximal phalanges of "E. caballus lenensis", an extinct species from the late Pleistocene of Siberia . Along with steppe bison ("Bison