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Tuesday 28 October 2014

Donkey

The donkey of Mediterranean lands is thought to be a descendant of the wild ass of Western Asia.

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Donkeys came to England with the Roman invasion of Britain in 43AD.

The Feast of the Ass was a Christian feast during medieval times (mainly celebrated) in France that celebrated the donkeys in the Bible, in particular the donkey bearing the Holy Family into Egypt after Jesus's birth. It was observed on January 14,

The ass was brought to the New World by the Spanish colonists and is known in Mexico and the southwestern United States by its Spanish name, burro.

Donkey handlers in 19th century UK seaside resorts faced fines of five shillings for allowing overweight punters a ride.

Oklahoma Sam, a four-year-old American Mammoth Jackstock, is the tallest living donkey on the planet. She measures 5 feet 1 inch from hoof to withers.

Donkeys have incredible memories and can recognize other donkeys they knew as long as 25 years ago.

They can hear another donkey in a desert environment calling up to 60 miles away.

The need companions and get depressed on their own.

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A female donkey is known as a jenny and a male donkey is known as a jack.

Domesticated donkeys are found around the world; wild donkeys are seen only in North Africa.

China has more donkeys than any other country, though they are threatened by the use of donkey skins in traditional medicine.

Donkeys are often kept with horses due to a perceived calming effect they have on nervous horses.

Donkeys can be used to guard livestock from coyotes and wolves. They instinctively attack, by biting and kicking and if they get the chance they will even kill.

Donkeys are said to kill more people annually than plane crashes.

A donkey was jailed in Mexico for assault and battery in 2008 after it bit and kicked two men.

A female donkey is normally pregnant for about twelve months, and usually gives birth to a single foal; twins are rare.

A donkey can eat as much as 6,000lbs of food per year, which is why they are in such demand to keep grasslands under control.

Donkeys have very efficient digestion, utilizing up to 95 per cent of the energy they consume. This makes their poo not much use as a fertilizer.

The placement of a donkey's eyes in its head enables it to see all four feet at all times.

Sources Daily ExpressDaily Mail

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