6th October: Day of the Donkey

Today was celebrated as Day of the Donkey in the French Revolutionary Calendar. So here are 10 things you might not know about donkeys.

1. Donkeys were probably first domesticated in Egypt around the 4th century BC. To the ancient Egyptians, they were a status symbol - In the Dynasty IV era of Egypt, between 2675 and 2565 BC, wealthy members of society were known to own over 1,000 donkeys. The skeletons of ten donkeys were found in the tombs of kings, buried like high ranking humans.
2. Today, there are thought to be about 41 million donkeys in the world, although it's likely not all of them get counted. There are thought to be about five million feral donkeys in Australia, for example. China has the most with 11 million, followed by Pakistan, Ethiopia and Mexico.
3. The scientific name for the donkey is Equus asinus asinus. A male donkey is called a jack, a female a jenny or jennet; a young donkey is a foal. The word "ass" for a donkey was once used exclusively. The word "donkey" didn't appear until the 18th century.
4. Donkeys can interbreed with other members of the family Equidae, although the resulting offspring are usually sterile. If a male donkey impregnates a female Horse, the result is a mule, and if a male horse impregnates a female donkey (which is less common) the result is a hinny. Donkeys can also interbreed with zebras, producing zonkeys.
5. The presence of a donkey in a stable or field is thought to have a calming effect on nervous horses.
6. Donkeys were commonly portrayed in literature as being stubborn or stupid. This is thought to be because donkeys have a stronger sense of self-preservation and a weaker connection with humans than horses and it is more difficult to force them to do something they perceive as dangerous (which is arguably a sign that they're not stupid at all). Homer, Aesop, Apuleius and Shakespeare all portrayed donkeys this way. It was Shakespeare who popularised the word "ass" to mean a stupid person. Later on, they started getting more positive press as being steady and loyal, as in Cervantes' Don Quixote, and by William Wordsworth who portrayed the donkey as loyal and patient in his poem Peter Bell:A Tale.
7. Donkeys are mentioned frequently in the Bible, possibly because of their importance as working animals at that period. Owners were protected by law from loss caused by the death or injury of a donkey, and often in Bible stories, the act of mounting or dismounting, saddling or leading a donkey is used as a narrative turning point, to show that someone has come to a decision. The most famous Bible story concerning a donkey is probably the story of the first Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on one, thus fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy that the Messiah would appear riding on a donkey.
8. The Palm Sunday story gave rise to donkey folklore, for example, as an explanation as to why donkeys have cross-shaped markings on their backs. During the Middle Ages, hairs from this cross were said to cure measles and whooping cough. Around 1400 AD, one physician listed riding backwards on a donkey as a cure for Scorpion stings.
9. Donkey rides as something for children to do at the seaside originated in 1886 in Weston Super Mare and in 1895 in Bridlington. It is probable that the donkeys offered to ride on were originally working draught animals in the cockle industries around the coast.
10. Cleopatra, Queen of Ancient Egypt, allegedly took baths in donkey milk to preserve the beauty and youth of her skin. According to legend 700 donkeys were needed to provide the milk for her daily bath. Ass milk is still used today in the manufacture of soaps and moisturisers.