World Donkey Day

Not Stubborn: Thoughtful, Deliberative

My Party Mascot, the Donkey, is honored today with World Donkey Day.

(I didn’t know that before. Not sure how I learned it today.)

In my first cited article, below (“Phys.Org”), we are told that Le Centre d’ Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse is working with 37 labs worldwide to study over 200 living donkeys, over 30 “early donkeys” and 15 “wild equids” to determine the 5000 year relationship between humanity and the domestication of this thoughtful, deliberative and hard-working equid.

According to the article in the authoritative, peer-reviewed journal, Science (cited, below), the donkey originated in Africa; was domesticated 5000 years ago; the area of origin later dried into the Sahara region; humanity has benefitted enormously for millennia from a very adaptable, hardworking farm work animal; and “the imprint of desertification on divergence among groups and specifics about donkey breeding and husbandry.”

Now, look at the portrait (from the public domain!!) of this handsome fellow, below — my dear wife says he bears a striking resemblance to me.

Who doesn’t feel affection for this intellectual equid?!

CC0: Public Domain

Source:

https://phys.org/news/2022-09-donkey-domestication.html

Original study:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abo3503

The Toulouse Center:

https://cagt.cnrs.fr/accueil/fr/

I like the portrait. Kinda cute. That comment of my wife’s hit close to home. Handsome guy!