Donkeys are one of the most easily forgotten and misunderstood animals, but their value goes far beyond what first meets the eye.
There are over 40 million donkeys in the world today, and they can often be found on farms for one surprising reason: they make excellent guard animals against predators, particularly of the canine variety, and in many cases they do even better than guard dogs themselves.
The surprising usefulness of donkeys to farmers was spotlighted in a video posted by the YouTube channel WATOP recently, which has been viewed over 8.5 million times and is jam-packed full of information on what makes donkeys so valuable.
Gentle as they may over the course of the day, they can transform into fearsome guard animals at the drop of a hat when predators make their attempt at stealing livestock like sheep or goats.
It’s just part of the reason why farmers are investing in donkeys rather than guard dogs and guns.
While canine species like coyotes, foxes, and even hyenas have been known to make short work of many different breeds of livestock, donkeys seem as if they were designed by nature to neutralize them.
Even the powerful African hyenas can find themselves helpless against a full blown donkey attack.
According to WATOP, producer of the viral donkey video seen below, donkeys cost about $500-800 dollars, considerably less than a trained guard dog, and one donkey can guard up to 200 sheep or goats all grazing on the same pasture.
Donkeys defend livestock in the following ways:
-By letting out a loud shriek to alert farmers and scare predators
-By instantly chasing after predators to force them out of the designated area
-By unleashing powerful kicks with the front, and sometimes back hooves that can stun their opponents and even break bones
Donkeys also have the following natural attributes that make them surprisingly strong:
-Excellent eyesight
-Surprising speed
-Great hearing
-Strong teeth
-A calm disposition
-High intelligence on par with dogs and dolphins for problem solving, and generally smarter than horses according to those who study them closely
One donkey even received a Purple Cross award during the first World War by helping its owner rescue over 300 people from the battlefield.
So, should you buy donkeys to protect your livestock or even your pets and small children from things that go bump in the night?
If you’re at all intrigued, check out the video below.
You just may be shocked at what these donkeys can do, and consider getting one for yourself at some point in the near future:
