The domestic donkey is a domesticated member of the horse family and one of humanity’s oldest working animals. Its ancestor is the African wild ass, and domestication began approximately 5,000–7,000 years ago in northeastern Africa.
Donkeys have a compact, sturdy body, strong legs, large mobile ears and a short upright mane. They are well adapted to hot, dry environments and can travel long distances while coping with relatively limited food resources. For thousands of years, donkeys have been used for carrying loads, agricultural work and transportation through difficult terrain.
Donkeys are social, intelligent and cautious animals. They have an excellent memory and can remember places, other animals and people for long periods.
Although donkeys are often described as stubborn, this behaviour is usually linked to their strong sense of self-preservation. When a donkey believes that something is dangerous, it may stop rather than immediately run or move forward.
Their digestive system is highly efficient and allows them to obtain nutrients from coarse, relatively poor-quality vegetation. Their large ears provide excellent hearing and also help dissipate excess body heat.
Domestic donkeys descend from wild asses of northeastern Africa. Humans began using them as pack and transport animals several thousand years ago.
From Africa, donkeys gradually spread into the Middle East, Europe and Asia and later reached almost every part of the world together with human migration and trade.
Today domestic donkeys are kept in many countries worldwide. They remain particularly valuable in rural, mountainous and remote regions because they can travel along narrow, rocky paths and carry loads in places where vehicles cannot easily operate.
