Today is World Donkey Day, and there’s no better way to celebrate these wonderful members of God’s creation than by learning more about them!
- Donkeys have amazing memories, with the ability to recognize friends they haven’t seen in over 25 years!
- Cleanliness is very important to donkeys, who groom one another and refuse to drink dirty water.
- As social animals, donkeys build strong bonds with one another and become extremely upset when they’re separated. Their family and friends are very important to them, and they experience loneliness when not with their herd.
- The more than 44 million donkeys in the world come in all shapes and sizes and 186 different breeds!
- To access water in their natural desert habitats, donkeys use their hooves to dig holes and find water. This, in turn, nourishes smaller animals, such as birds and chipmunks.
Clearly, donkeys are intelligent, kind, and resourceful beings, yet those qualities do little to prevent them from being exploited and abused worldwide. At tourist destinations like the UNESCO World Heritage site in Petra, Jordan, donkeys are routinely beaten, whipped, and maimed as they are forced to carry tourists.
In India, many donkeys are condemned to grueling labor in places like brick kilns and sand pits, where they haul heavy loads day in and day out. They’re overworked, underfed, and given little if any water or respite from the blazing heat and scorching sun. Many will die where they fall.
Thankfully, there’s hope for these gentle animals. In Jordan, a clinic supported by PETA’s Global Compassion Fund (GCF) is the only one in that area that provides regular treatment and free emergency veterinary care to long-suffering donkeys. Support from GCF donors helps the Indian organization Animal Rahat go to the places where donkeys are forced to work to provide vaccinations and help with the many ailments that they endure. Their team works with brick kiln operators to replace the donkeys with tractors, an initiative that has allowed more than 360 donkeys to retire to one of their lush, peaceful sanctuaries in the last nine years alone.
