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The Docile Donkey​—Not Always!

Slowly winding their way up a mountain trail, 50 donkeys were attacked by vicious sheep dogs. Ignoring the dogs, they continued unafraid with heavy loads on their backs. The scene changed when one of the dogs tried to bite the lead donkey on its hind leg.

“The second that the dog hit his legs,” wrote Frank Hibben in Nature Magazine, “the burro turned with lightning-like rapidity, despite the heavy pack, and kicked a slender hoof into the face of the snarling dog. At the same moment he opened his cavernous mouth and brayed with all the power of his lungs. . . . I had never heard a burro bray like that before.” One by one all 50 followed suit​—it was a startling war cry.

As the dogs renewed their attack, donkeys from the rear broke into a run surrounding two of the dogs. Trapped in a circle of donkey fury “one dog thought he saw an opening . . . and ran for it with his tail between his legs. The nearest burro quickly lowered his head. His teeth closed fairly over the dog’s back.” In this manner both dogs were caught and tossed outside the circle​—dead. The other dogs fled. “Three or four burros swelled out their nostrils and brayed loudly, as though the job were finished. Then all resumed their sleepy and plodding appearance and fell back into line. They were again ‘just burros.’”