Type of donkey
Thuringian Forest Donkey Conservation status DAD-IS (2021): critical[ 1] Other names Country of origin Germany Weight Height Coat stone-grey with shoulder-stripe and eel stripe [ 3] : 30
The Thüringer Waldesel or Thuringian Forest Donkey is a recently created German breed of domestic donkey .
History
The Thüringer Waldesel derives from a small group of miscellaneous donkeys collected in Saxony , Saxony-Anhalt and West Thuringia , supplemented with similar-looking donkeys brought from the United Kingdom, and bred both at the Thüringer Zoopark Erfurt [de ] at Erfurt in Thuringia, and at the Wildpark Hundshaupten [de ] in Egloffstein in Bavaria .[ 2] : 48 In 2019 the breeding programme was approved by the Landesbetrieb Landwirtschaft Hessen [de ] , and the Thüringer Waldesel was recognised as a breed. Seven jennies and two jacks were registered in the stud-book .[ 4] As there are very few of the donkeys, the breed is reported to DAD-IS as critically endangered .[ 1]
Characteristics
The Thüringer Waldesel is of medium size. Jacks stand 100–110 cm at the withers , and weigh about 133–210 kg; jennies stand some 95–110 cm, and weigh 156–185 kg.[ 3] : 30 The coat is usually stone-grey, with dark shoulder-stripe and eel stripe ; the legs often display zebra stripes .[ 3] : 30
References