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
Australopithecus africanus and STS 71), but also presents primitive features including ape-like, curved fingers adapted to tree climbing. Instead of it being a direct ancestor of later hominins and thereby of humans, some researchers believe that "A. africanus" evolved into "Paranthropus", and specifically that "P. robustus" descended from "A. africanus". Both "P. robustus" and "A. africanus" crania seem very alike despite the more heavily built (robust) features of "P. robustus", which, like those of the modern gorilla, are adaptations for heavy chewing. "A. africanus", on the other hand, had a cranium which quite closely resembled that of a modern chimpanzee; yet both