The Ass—A Beast of Burden

Asses belong to the same animal family as horses and zebras. Although they are called donkeys, ass is the preferred name. The domes­tic ass is believed to be a descendant of a wild African species. This wild donkey, the Nubian wild ass, is about 40 inches high. He lives in dry, hot places where there is little vegetation. His only protection against predatory meat-eat­ing animals is his extremely keen hearing which warns him of the approach of an enemy a great distance away.

In Asia there are three types of wild asses that differ somewhat from the African variety.

The onagers are about 40 inches high. They travel in small herds which are led by one male donkey. This type of ass is continually on the move in search of food. They live in almost all the countries of Central and Southern Asia.

The hemionus is about 46 inches high, and its name means half donkey because it looks half like a donkey and half like a horse. This species lives in the mountainous regions of China, Southern Siberia, and Mongolia.

The third species of wild ass in Asia is the kiang. They are taller than the others and aver­age about 52 inches. This donkey can stand cold well, unlike the other wild asses. The kiang lives in the mountainous regions of Central Asia where he has been seen at heights of over 16,000 feet.

Donkeys are not used very much in the United States, but in Mexico, South America, Europe, and Asia they are extremely important work animals. They thrive in a hot, dry climate. Asses are small, stubborn animals. They have a reputation for stupidity. They are useful, though, because they have a great deal of strength and endurance. Asses do not need much food, and they can digest the driest and thorniest thistles and cactus.

When a male donkey is bred with a female horse, their offspring is known as a mule. The offspring of a stallion and a she donkey is called a hinny. The male donkey is sometimes called a jack or jackass, and the female donkey is called a jenny or jennet.

It is estimated that there are about 40,000,-000 domestic donkeys living in the world. China alone uses about 12,000,000. Of the other coun­tries where asses are important, Ethiopia uses about 3,000,000; Mexico has 3,000,000; Spain uses about 675,000; and Italy keeps nearly 690,000. Some of the most famous breeds of donkey come from Poitou, in France, and Cata­lonia, in Spain. The tiny Sardinian donkey, which is hardly 32 inches high at the withers, comes from the island of Sardinia off the west­ern coast of Italy.

For the most part asses are used as pack and harness animals. They are capable of carrying extremely heavy loads. In some countries don-keys are also used for moving various ma­chines. In the Sahara, for example, donkeys are used to draw water from wells. In Sardinia they walk round and round in circles with their eyes bandaged to turn little mills.

The number of wild asses in the world is small and is constantly getting smaller. They are hunted for their flesh. Their skins make a strong, tough leather called shagreen, which is very valuable. Recently, however, special laws have been passed to protect the few survivors of the wild species.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1068