“It’s a dog you can ride.”
November 4, 2016 7:52 AM Subscribe
Where’s the Love for Donkeys? [The New York Times] “About 5,000 years ago, 10 donkeys were laid to rest in painstakingly constructed brick grave chambers at a site connected with one of the earliest Egyptian kings. They were buried in a place of importance, “where the highest lords would be,” said Fiona Marshall, an archaeologist at Washington University in St. Louis who studies the domestication of donkeys. Because of their importance in trade across the Sahara, she said, donkeys had “superhigh status.” Unfortunately, even the most passionate defenders of donkeys recognize that the animal they love gets little respect in the wider world today.”
Donkeys are great animals. I used to work at a USDA veterinary facility that took care of pretty much every domesticated animal you can think of. Donkeys were my favorite. They have awesome personalities. The worst: turkeys.
This seems as good a place as any to point out that Tennis star Novak Djokovic owns the world's supply of donkey cheese.
posted by mcstayinskool at 8:00 AM on November 4, 2016 [4 favorites]
This seems as good a place as any to point out that Tennis star Novak Djokovic owns the world's supply of donkey cheese.
posted by mcstayinskool at 8:00 AM on November 4, 2016 [4 favorites]
My friend has built a decent career as a painter on the backs of donkeys.
IIRC, there's a MeFite who's a retired muleskinner (not quite the same beast), and I hope he stops in to share some brays for the donkeys he has known.
posted by notyou at 8:06 AM on November 4, 2016 [3 favorites]
IIRC, there's a MeFite who's a retired muleskinner (not quite the same beast), and I hope he stops in to share some brays for the donkeys he has known.
posted by notyou at 8:06 AM on November 4, 2016 [3 favorites]
I was once invited to ride horses with some family friends in the Ecuadorian tundra (El Paramo). The elevation was about 12k feet, and having recently moved to Ecuador, I got a terrible case of altitude sickness. Truly a terrible experience.
In the morning, the rest of the party went on their horse ride. I was left behind with the farm's caretakers and some donkeys. When I felt well, one of the caretakers put a blanket on donkey and told me to ride. I don't know how to explain it, but the animal just moved in the direction I wanted it to. We explored the area for hours, stopped and drank from a pristine lake, and it took me home when the sun started to set. One of the best days of my life. I still dream of being able to retire somewhere with enough land to have a couple of donkeys.
posted by pleem at 8:20 AM on November 4, 2016 [29 favorites]
In the morning, the rest of the party went on their horse ride. I was left behind with the farm's caretakers and some donkeys. When I felt well, one of the caretakers put a blanket on donkey and told me to ride. I don't know how to explain it, but the animal just moved in the direction I wanted it to. We explored the area for hours, stopped and drank from a pristine lake, and it took me home when the sun started to set. One of the best days of my life. I still dream of being able to retire somewhere with enough land to have a couple of donkeys.
posted by pleem at 8:20 AM on November 4, 2016 [29 favorites]
Everyone I know with a farm has had donkeys and the reason they give is that the donkeys make friends with all the animals and keep them calm. I like that, Donkeys, diplomat.
posted by The Whelk at 8:33 AM on November 4, 2016 [20 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 8:33 AM on November 4, 2016 [20 favorites]
GPS is a truly marvellous thing, but I sometimes miss the serendipitous results of my shitty map reading skills. Like the time we spent 45 minutes on Hwy 6 thinking we were on Hwy 8, but discovered the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada so, yeah, that was worth getting lost for.
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 8:47 AM on November 4, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 8:47 AM on November 4, 2016 [4 favorites]
They also make really good guard animals, assuming they don't consider the thing you've put them in to guard a varmint outsider.
Part of the reason there are so many donkey sanctuaries is that donkeys can live for 30 or 40 years. If the farm goes under in the that time, or the farmer gets too old to handle the donkey anymore, they've got to find a place for them. As it stands, donkeys are pretty cheap to buy, and own (mine was in the $100 range), though they do need company, so plan to buy two, or plan to spend a lot of time with it.
posted by wormwood23 at 8:56 AM on November 4, 2016
Part of the reason there are so many donkey sanctuaries is that donkeys can live for 30 or 40 years. If the farm goes under in the that time, or the farmer gets too old to handle the donkey anymore, they've got to find a place for them. As it stands, donkeys are pretty cheap to buy, and own (mine was in the $100 range), though they do need company, so plan to buy two, or plan to spend a lot of time with it.
posted by wormwood23 at 8:56 AM on November 4, 2016
I used to work with horses and mules, and the occasional donkey. Donkeys are way smarter than horses or mules. As my father used to say, if a horse gets a foot caught in barbed wire, it will pull and fight until it injures itself. If a mule gets a foot caught, it will wait for a human to free it. A donkey never gets a foot caught in the first place.
posted by Uncle Grumpy at 9:30 AM on November 4, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by Uncle Grumpy at 9:30 AM on November 4, 2016 [4 favorites]
Well, after being jealous of the Republicans for getting the (way-too-awesome-for-them) elephant as their mascot, this makes me glad the Dems get the donkey. (Who is also too awesome for them but still.)
posted by asteria at 9:49 AM on November 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by asteria at 9:49 AM on November 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
One of my favorite tumblr posts is this one, with a video of a guy coming home from college and being greeted by his pet donkey:
http://styro.tumblr.com/post/141034357995/otterologist-simonwang-my-friend-showed-me
Make sure your sound is on. SO MUCH HAPPY SCREAMING.
posted by theatro at 9:54 AM on November 4, 2016 [27 favorites]
http://styro.tumblr.com/post/141034357995/otterologist-simonwang-my-friend-showed-me
Make sure your sound is on. SO MUCH HAPPY SCREAMING.
posted by theatro at 9:54 AM on November 4, 2016 [27 favorites]
A horse is much higher maintenance than a donkey.
But for millennia, that was a feature, not a bug. If you rode a horse, you had a posse, and if you had a posse, you had to be addressed and treated accordingly.
posted by ocschwar at 9:55 AM on November 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
But for millennia, that was a feature, not a bug. If you rode a horse, you had a posse, and if you had a posse, you had to be addressed and treated accordingly.
posted by ocschwar at 9:55 AM on November 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
Everyone I know with a farm has had donkeys and the reason they give is that the donkeys make friends with all the animals and keep them calm. I like that, Donkeys, diplomat.
You can correct me if my sample set is too small, but every donkey-llama pairing I've seen resulted with the camelid hissing at the donkey and the donkey loudly complaining about it.
posted by ocschwar at 9:57 AM on November 4, 2016
every donkey-llama pairing I've seen resulted with the camelid hissing at the donkey and the donkey loudly complaining about it.
This is exactly the same with cockatoos and dogs. The cockatoo is hissing, the dog is complaining.
posted by Splunge at 10:05 AM on November 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
This is exactly the same with cockatoos and dogs. The cockatoo is hissing, the dog is complaining.
posted by Splunge at 10:05 AM on November 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
Where’s the Love for Donkeys?
Tijuana, so I hear.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:09 AM on November 4, 2016 [8 favorites]
Tijuana, so I hear.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:09 AM on November 4, 2016 [8 favorites]
That's because llamas are made of loathing, it's why they're good guard animals.
posted by The Whelk at 10:29 AM on November 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by The Whelk at 10:29 AM on November 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
I kid you not when I tell you that part of my 5-year plan is to buy a big old stone house and some land in northern Spain with enough room for a couple riding horses and a couple of heritage-breed donks whom I will hitch up to a cart and drive into the village for provisions a few times a week.
Also, I give you Caramelo, "The Donkey Who Thinks He's a Horse."
posted by drlith at 10:43 AM on November 4, 2016 [3 favorites]
Also, I give you Caramelo, "The Donkey Who Thinks He's a Horse."
posted by drlith at 10:43 AM on November 4, 2016 [3 favorites]
"Zebra" in Swahili (punda miliya) literally translates to striped donkey.
posted by ChuraChura at 1:01 PM on November 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ChuraChura at 1:01 PM on November 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
I like that donkeys look so much like the animals in ancient cave paintings.
posted by bonobothegreat at 6:02 PM on November 4, 2016
posted by bonobothegreat at 6:02 PM on November 4, 2016
I named my donkey "Otee". (If I ever get a llama I'm going to name her "Dolly")
posted by Michael Tellurian at 7:59 PM on November 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Michael Tellurian at 7:59 PM on November 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
Everyone I know with a farm has had donkeys and the reason they give is that the donkeys make friends with all the animals and keep them calm. I like that, Donkeys, diplomat.
They'll also murder anything that comes into the pasture that they think shouldn't. Mostly they object to canids but they'll stomp anything they don't like forthwith.
posted by fshgrl at 11:12 PM on November 4, 2016
They'll also murder anything that comes into the pasture that they think shouldn't. Mostly they object to canids but they'll stomp anything they don't like forthwith.
posted by fshgrl at 11:12 PM on November 4, 2016
Watching the zonkey clip... Apparently donkeys and zebras were thought not to be able to breed. Guess Mother Nature has schooled us again AND put striped leggings on it, too!
posted by Sheydem-tants at 4:57 AM on November 5, 2016
posted by Sheydem-tants at 4:57 AM on November 5, 2016
In a recent episode of BBC 4's "In Our Time", they discussed the importance of the donkey character in "Animal Farm" and how the donkey was still around at the end.
posted by BobtheThief at 6:19 AM on November 5, 2016
posted by BobtheThief at 6:19 AM on November 5, 2016
I had my bridal shower at the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada. I have won at life, forever and always!
(OMG I LOVE DONKEEEES!!!!!)
posted by Mrs. Rattery at 11:37 AM on November 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
(OMG I LOVE DONKEEEES!!!!!)
posted by Mrs. Rattery at 11:37 AM on November 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Nice Ass! Why I Own Donkeys (Jon Katz, Slate)
posted by Pallas Athena at 7:19 PM on November 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Pallas Athena at 7:19 PM on November 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by ChuraChura at 7:58 AM on November 4, 2016 [6 favorites]