Things you don't know about donkeys

Donkeys have been used and often abused in labor for over 5,000 years. It is estimated that more than 50 million donkeys are used in labor worldwide, and the majority are in undeveloped countries where donkeys are used as transport and draft animals.

However, behind its rough appearance, the donkey is a very wonderful animal. Let's join Living Vegan to discover interesting secrets that many people do not know about this animal.

Special shout

A donkey's loud and prolonged cry can last up to 20 seconds and can be heard up to 3km away, which helps donkeys keep in touch with their friends in large spaces in the desert. Donkeys' large ears also help them hear sounds at long distances.

Precious friendship

Domesticated donkeys are social animals and if they are paired or in a herd, they will show their interest in you by licking, sleeping and foraging together.

Donkeys are also known to develop friendships with animals of different species. In 2014 at a semi-wild sanctuary in California, a goat named Mr-G and a donkey named Jellybean were rescued from a private facility, however they were sent and raised in two centers. different. During the time they were apart, Mr-G stopped eating, refused to move and just lay in one place. Veterinary staff confirmed that Mr-G was suffering from psychological stress. Only when the two conservation centers discovered the cause and brought Mr-G and Jellybean together was the problem resolved, both the goat and the donkey expressed excitement and joy when seeing each other.

Donkeys are animals with emotions

Donkeys are no different from us in forming and maintaining friendships and in suffering psychologically when friendships break down. This is shown by the fact that when a member of the herd dies, other individuals will spend time with the corpse and seem to understand that their friend is gone forever.

Donkeys never forget!!!

Thanks to their strong bonds, donkeys can recognize and remember their friends' faces even when they have been apart for a long time. They can even remember the face of someone they are related to after many years of not seeing them. Express excitement if they have had a good relationship with them in the past.

Support animals living in the desert

When in the desert, donkeys will help other animals find water by digging up to 1.8m underground to find underground water sources. This has helped many animals living in the desert, these water holes are very important for animals during the hottest and driest days of the summer.

Smart but not stubborn

Despite our long history with donkeys, humans still have little understanding of their behavior, and often associate them with an image of stubbornness. The truth is quite the opposite, donkeys are very smart with incredible reasoning and problem-solving abilities.

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Source: Dave Neale - Director of Animal Welfare, Animals Asia Translated by: Animal Welfare Department, Animals Asia