Sophie and Vinny, two standard donkeys, came to us in April 2023 from Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue in Acton, California. Sophia was a naughty two-year-old and Vinny was a smart, studious, and shy, six-year-old. They are brother and sister and of course, he is neutered. We don’t do any breeding here at Animal Tracks. Donkeys are very social and lean on each other for support. Even when Sophia is at her naughtiest, Vincent rarely leaves her side. They are normally within 6 feet of each other, they even take dust baths together. They live in a large pasture with a quarter horse named Spirit. In the beginning, it wasn’t always smooth sailing with the three of them but now they are like the three amigos, and can be seen eating in the yard always together. Being domesticated animals they are the perfect creatures to start our educational tours with. You will get to come into the corral, where you are encouraged to pet them and feed them. Domesticated animals are a much better choice than a wild one.
ORDER: Perissodactyla
FAMILY: Equidae
GENUS: Equus
SPECIES: Equus africanus asinus
Donkeys were domesticated in Africa, probably about 5,000 or 6,000 years ago, and has been used mainly as a working animal since that time. There are more than 40 million donkeys in the world, mostly in underdeveloped countries, where they are used principally as draught or pack animals. Domesticated individuals of this species occur around the globe. However, true wild donkeys can be found only in northern Africa and the Arabian peninsula. These animals are known to favor warm and dry climatic conditions, in which feral donkeys typically live. Donkeys are highly social creatures, eagerly associating with both conspecifics and other livestock animals, including horses, cows, goats, sheep, and llamas. Periods of increased activity occur in the morning and evening, while the midday hours are typically spent resting. Donkeys are extremely cautious by nature, due to which they will avoid doing anything that seems to be dangerous.
Threats
Exploitation by humans for work and entertainment.
Conservation Status
NE - Not Evaluated