A donkey’s time to shine

A donkey’s time to shine


We’ve long viewed donkeys as the quintessential beasts of burden, but they’re finally coming into focus. From the Irish movie, “The Banshees of Inisherin” [in-ish-AIR-in] to the Polish film, “EO” [Ē-oh], donkeys are having a moment — and it’s not a moment too soon.

Beyond being stoic and hardworking, donkeys are playful, smart and affectionate. Over thousands of years as prey animals, donkeys have evolved to hide their vulnerability from predators. They’ve done it so well that they’ve been stereotyped as stubborn, stupid and unfeeling — robotic animals meant to do our bidding. And that’s put them in plenty of peril.

We’re becoming more aware of the abuse and neglect that donkeys have endured over the ages, and still encounter today. We’ve used donkeys for centuries to build our nations. Now, it’s time for us to give back to them.

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