11/11/2025
Picture copied this from another source. It's also important to also balance that with the fact that the feral donkeys in the west (they are not a native wildlife species, just were left by minors in the 1800's) also do so well that they over-populate and are detrimental to native wildlife and plant species populations. The plants all get eaten up and bare ground is the result with many starving animals as the result. The wild horse population has the same effect. Horses are also not native wild species. And many people get caught up in villifying the BLM (bureau of land management) because they have round-ups and select horses and donkeys to be put up for adoption. Some people regard this as cruel, but just don't quite get the "why" it is necessary for all American west animals and plants to have a reasonable chance of survival.
The BLM knows the herds well, has names for the outstanding studs and jacks, etc. and make sure they have protection by having as much land and resources as possible. But still the population has to be controlled. This is why there will ALWAYS be a large population of wild BLM horses and donkeys available for adoption, even while mini and mammoth donkeys are on the endangered species list.
Thank goodness in the mid 1900's some minis were imported to the US and we have many good breeders, because they are now extinct in the wild where they came from in the Mediterranean. Minis were NOT bred down from standards like most "mini" animals are. They adapted to that size naturally over there on the islands. Food sources were smaller, so it was an advantage to be smaller. People even used them inside their homes to turn the grain grinders. Therefore minis do not have the genetic difficulties that you may see in other "mini" species due to line breeding. They had thousands of years to adapt to this size.
Now mini donkeys are being exported from the US to other countries helping to ensure their survival for a long time to come.
