The standard donkey is usually grey/brownish in colour and has a cross on its shoulders. But like people, donkeys come in all shapes and sizes – small, large, white, and woolly. Here are a few stand-out donkeys.
Asinara donkey
This is a short, white donkey, standing around 105 cm. It is found on the island of Asinara, just off the north-west coast of Sardinia. It is not known how or when the white donkey arrived on Asinara. One theory is that they originated from white donkeys that the 19th-century Duke of Asinara brought to the island from Egypt, another theory suggests that they are the result of a chance mutation.
The island has had an interesting history mirroring its social and political history. Originally colonised by shepherds in the early Middle Ages, nothing much of note happened until 1885, when a royal edict ordered the residents off the island and it was then transformed into a quarantine station and penal colony. During World War I it was home to over 24,000 Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war and in 1935 it hosted Ethiopian prisoners of war as a result of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. In the 1970s the Asinara became a high-security island prison for members of the Mafia and other criminal groups. Today the white donkeys have the island to themselves as Asinara is a national park where visitors can walk or cycle along predetermined paths and see the 120 or so albino, small donkeys.
Miranda Donkey
The Miranda donkey is endemic to the Miranda region in Portugal. It developed its unique characteristics over time due to geographical isolation and its environmental conditions. It has a brown coat that is longer than the common donkey and is considered more social and docile. The Miranda donkey has been recognised by the EU as an asinine indigenous breed who afford it protection. However, with increasing modernisation the Miranda donkey is slowly being replaced and it is currently facing extinction. Only 600-700 donkeys remain, and most are owned by elderly farmers more as a companion animal than a working beast.
Poitou Donkey
The Poitou donkey (aka Poitevin or Baudet de Poitou) is a French breed of donkey and one of the largest breeds with a distinctive coat that hangs in long, dreadlock-like locks. It was possibly introduced to the region by the Romans, but regardless, it has a long history with the region and was used not only for agricultural work but for mule breeding. By the late 19th century a studbook for the breed had been established and they were also used to develop other donkey breeds such as the American Mammoth Jack. Similarly to the Miranda, the Poitou donkey experienced a serious decline in numbers thanks to increased mechanisation and by the 1970s were facing extinction. Thanks to a conservation programme their numbers have increased from a low of 44 to around 500.
On the Ile de Ré, just off the western coast of France, near La Rochelle, Poitou donkeys used to work in the salt marshes, where they were often troubled by mosquitoes and bug bites. To protect them from the nasty insect bites, the donkeys’ owners dressed their beasts in specially made trousers of old striped curtain material. This group of Poitou donkeys became known as “Anes en Culotte” or “Donkeys in Trousers”. Whilst they no longer work on the salt marshes, the tradition of wearing trousers continues as a tourist attraction.
Sources and Further Reading
http://italywithgusto.com/asinara-white-donkeys-sardinia/ https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/sardinia-donkeys/ https://worddisk.com/wiki/Miranda_donkey/
https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/what-we-do/knowledge-and-advice/about-donkeys/Poitou
https://www.amusingplanet.com/2016/12/the-island-where-donkeys-wear-pyjamas.html