Donkeys a favourite despite ‘stubborn’ myth

Donkeys are one of the UK’s favourite animals, even though more than half of people quizzed for a survey wrongly believed they were stubborn.

A YouGov poll for The Donkey Sanctuary found donkeys were “Britain’s second favourite farm animal”.

Unlike horses, which topped the poll with 24%, donkeys (17% of votes) are not native to Europe, but still hold affection among the public.

Unfair reputation

The international animal charity said donkeys had long suffered an unfair reputation, borne out by 55% of people quizzed in the survey wrongly believing they were stubborn.

Ben Hart, animal behaviourist for The Donkey Sanctuary, said: “Donkeys’ stoic nature means, when compared to horses, they show more subtle body language when in pain or distress. Donkeys also have a strong sense of self-preservation and are unwilling to do things that they perceive as dangerous.

“The donkeys’ stoic nature, minimal body language and their natural propensity to freeze when threatened or frightened, combined with a reluctance to put themselves at risk, results in donkeys commonly being mislabelled as stupid or stubborn. I believe anyone who calls a donkey stupid has simply been outsmarted by one.”

Important role

The research found 89% of people were aware donkeys carried out an important role in helping communities around the world. A report by The Donkey Sanctuary in 2019 stated 500 million people in some of the world’s poorest communities still rely on working donkeys to support their livelihoods.

Mike Baker, chief executive at The Donkey Sanctuary, said: “It’s great to hear people understand just how important donkeys are.

“Owning a working donkey means survival for some of the poorest and most vulnerable communities in the world. They enable owners to participate in work and boost economic capacity. They help enable children to receive an education and help promote gender equality by allowing women to be economically active.

“The role of these hard-working animals is vital and their status should never be underplayed.”