‘Silent assassins’: How ‘feral’ donkeys keep Australia moving
Every day, hundreds of camels, mules and goats across Australia work diligently to help the country progress.
Donkeys herd cattle and guard the land against predators, pigs sniff truffles, and horses are on the ground lifting logs from forests.
Their courage and sincerity have been valued for hundreds of years; It helped reduce devastation across the country and save the economy millions.
But more than a third of Australians are unaware of how animals help us in our daily lives.
A new survey by Working Animals International has found that more than a third of Australians believe animals working alongside humans is “a thing of the past”.
In fact, these animals are some of the most important figures that drive the country’s progress.
“Working animals such as horses, donkeys, mules, oxen and camels play a vital role in the lives of millions of people,” said Linda Edwards, the company’s CEO.
“They help families earn income, move products to market and keep children in school, but too often their well-being is overlooked.”
For example, donkeys are often used to help round up cattle and, in Australia, to protect farms against predators such as foxes, wild dogs and dingoes, and to reduce the danger of bushfires.
But 87 per cent of Australians are completely unaware of how they are moving the country forward.
“For more than a century, we have worked with animal owners to improve access to skills, advice and veterinary care so that working animals can live healthy lives and be valued,” Ms Edwards said.
Brooke Purvis, who lives with her husband in the Hunter Valley, NSW, was once a horse racer.
But since 2021 he has been training wild donkeys in the Northern Territory to work as guards against predators that threaten the land.
Donkeys are considered pests in the Northern Territory and are often shot to control the population.
“They’re shooting wild donkeys in the NT and we’re saying, ‘How can we reuse them here?'” Ms Purvis said. “We thought,” he said.
“Donkeys are much more than ‘wild’; they are intelligent, practical working animals that play a key role in Australia’s agricultural future.”
The donkeys are shipped from the Top End to NSW before the rainy season arrives in October and arrive by truck interstate.
“I never know which donkeys I’m going to get; whether they’re pregnant or not, their age, the male/female ratio; it’s a bit random,” Ms Purvis told NewsWire.
After spending two weeks in quarantine, the donkeys are given time to adjust to their new environment before starting training.
“It would be foolish to try to work with them right away,” he said.
Ms Purvis said employing a donkey as a guard wasn’t easy but was worth every second.
“Donkeys are a long-term investment if you treat them properly,” he said.
Ms Purvis said it took about 12 months to train a donkey to be a guardian, but not every donkey had the skills to do it.
Generally speaking, “calm” donkeys work best as guardians, while “people-oriented” donkeys are better suited as pets.
“This is a process of trust,” he said.
“They can ‘be’ donkeys, they follow others, they move through the yard and they adapt pretty well; it’s more about training the people than the donkeys.”
The couple have more than 100 donkeys on their farm, half of whom are trained to help protect the land against predators and bushfires.
Contrary to popular belief, donkeys are not stupid; They are extremely intelligent and offer a lot of stamina and strength.
“Donkeys are silent little assassins,” Ms. Purvis said.
“They are attached to the paddock area, so they patrol their paddocks and their mates.
“If something gets in that shouldn’t be there, they’ll go investigate, approach as quietly as possible, and when they’re close enough, they’ll attack.”
Farmers are some of donkeys’ biggest fans.
“Farmers here need donkeys; they have a strong role to play in Australia’s agricultural future,” Ms Purvis said.
“They’re not a nuisance to them.”
They are also capable of reducing the spread of wildfires.
“They go into country where cattle can’t and eat flammable shrubs like weeds and thistles, which eliminates the need for weed and thistle spraying,” Ms Purvis said.
The loving and intelligent animals also create large patches of dirt wherever they go, causing water to become trapped in puddles.
This helps reduce the spread of wildfires by creating a type of quasi-break.
Donkeys, like humans, need interaction with others, so they are often brought together in pairs.
“They need to match for their health and mental well-being,” Ms. Purvis said.
“They need to be in pairs, it’s like putting two kids in the same room; you need valuable interaction.”
Ms Purvis said one of the highlights of her job was seeing the donkeys interact with other people.
“We are also providing a respite for teachers who have children who want a break from the classroom,” she said.
“The donkeys run through the school grounds and if the kids are having a hard day they are sent to the donkeys and they love it.
“They’re like therapy animals.”
