Editing Donkey (section)

==History==
{{See also|Evolution of the horse}}
[[File:Maler der Grabkammer des Panehsi 001.jpg|thumb|Donkey in an Egyptian painting c. 1298–1235 BC]]

The genus ''Equus'', which includes all extant equines, is believed to have evolved from ''[[Dinohippus]]'', via the intermediate form ''[[Plesippus]]''. One of the oldest species is ''[[Hagerman Horse|Equus simplicidens]]'', described as zebra-like with a donkey-shaped head. The oldest fossil to date is approximately 3.5 million years old, and was located in the US state of Idaho. The genus appears to have spread quickly into the Old World, with the similarly aged ''Equus livenzovensis'' documented from western Europe and Russia.<ref name = "Azzaroli1992">{{cite journal |last=Azzaroli |first=A. |year=1992 |title=Ascent and decline of monodactyl equids: a case for prehistoric overkill |journal=Ann. Zool. Finnici |volume=28 |pages=151–163 |url=http://www.sekj.org/PDF/anzf28/anz28-151-163.pdf |access-date=2018-08-29 |archive-date=2020-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329173448/http://www.sekj.org/PDF/anzf28/anz28-151-163.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Molecular phylogenies indicate the most recent common ancestor of all modern equids (members of the genus ''Equus'') lived ~5.6 (3.9–7.8) mya. Direct paleogenomic sequencing of a 700,000-year-old middle Pleistocene horse metapodial bone from Canada implies a more recent 4.07 Myr before present date for the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) within the range of 4.0 to 4.5 Myr BP.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite journal |title=Recalibrating ''Equus evolution'' using the genome sequence of an early Middle Pleistocene horse |last1=Orlando|first1= L.|last2=Ginolhac|first2= A.|last3=Zhang|first3= G.|last4=Froese|first4= D.|last5=Albrechtsen|first5= A.|last6=Stiller|first6= M.|last7=Schubert|first7= M.|last8=Cappellini|first8= E.|last9=Petersen|first9= B.|s2cid=4318227|journal=Nature|date=4 July 2013 |doi=10.1038/nature12323 |pmid=23803765 |volume=499 |issue=7456 |pages=74–8|display-authors=etal|bibcode=2013Natur.499...74O}}</ref> The oldest divergencies are the Asian hemiones (subgenus ''E. ([[Asinus]])'', including the [[Turkmenian kulan|kulan]], [[onager]], and [[kiang]]), followed by the African zebras (subgenera ''E. ([[Dolichohippus]])'', and ''E. ([[Hippotigris]])''). All other modern forms including the domesticated horse (and many fossil [[Pliocene]] and [[Pleistocene]] forms) belong to the subgenus ''E. ([[Equus (genus)|Equus]])'' which diverged ~4.8 (3.2–6.5) million years ago.<ref name = "WeinstockMolecularPerspective">{{cite journal |last=Weinstock |first=J. |year=2005 |title=Evolution, systematics, and phylogeography of Pleistocene horses in the New World: a molecular perspective |journal=[[PLOS Biology]] |volume=3 |issue=8 |pages=e241 |doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030241 |pmid=15974804 |pmc=1159165 |display-authors=etal |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The ancestors of the modern donkey are the [[Nubia]]n and [[Somalia]]n subspecies of [[African wild ass]].{{r|Clut|Albano|rs}} Remains of domestic donkeys dating to the fourth millennium BC have been found in [[Ma'adi]] in Lower Egypt, and it is believed that the domestication of the donkey was accomplished long after the domestication of cattle, sheep and goats in the seventh and eighth millennia BC. Donkeys were probably first domesticated by pastoral people in [[Nubia]], and they supplanted the [[ox]] as the chief pack animal of that culture. The domestication of donkeys served to increase the mobility of pastoral cultures, having the advantage over ruminants of not needing time to [[chewing the cud|chew their cud]], and were vital in the development of long-distance trade across Egypt. In the [[Dynasty IV]] era of Egypt, between 2675 and 2565 BC, wealthy members of society were known to own over 1,000 donkeys, employed in agriculture, as dairy and meat animals and as pack animals.<ref name=IMH/> In 2003, the tomb of either [[Narmer|King Narmer]] or [[Hor-Aha|King Hor-Aha]] (two of the first Egyptian pharaohs) was excavated and the skeletons of ten donkeys were found buried in a manner usually used with high ranking humans. These burials show the importance of donkeys to the early Egyptian state and its ruler.<ref name=fox/>

By the end of the fourth millennium BC, the donkey had spread to Southwest Asia, and the main breeding centre had shifted to [[Mesopotamia]] by 1800 BC. The breeding of large, white riding asses made [[Damascus]] famous,{{Citation_needed|date=April 2016}} while Syrian breeders developed at least three other breeds, including one preferred by women for its easy [[horse gait|gait]]. The Muscat or Yemen ass was developed in [[Arabia]]. By the second millennium BC, the donkey was brought to Europe, possibly at the same time as [[viticulture]] was introduced, as the donkey is associated with the Syrian god of wine, [[Dionysus]]. Greeks spread both of these to many of their colonies, including those in what are now Italy, France and Spain; Romans dispersed them throughout their empire.<ref name=IMH/>

The first donkeys came to the Americas on ships of the [[Christopher Columbus#Second voyage (1493–1496)|Second Voyage]] of [[Christopher Columbus]], and were landed at [[Hispaniola]] in 1495.<ref name=roots/> The first to reach North America may have been two animals taken to Mexico by [[Juan de Zumárraga]], the first bishop of Mexico, who arrived there on 6 December 1528, while the first donkeys to reach what is now the United States may have crossed the [[Rio Grande]] with [[Juan de Oñate]] in April 1598.<ref name=burro/> From that time on they spread northward, finding use in missions and mines. Donkeys were documented as present in what today is Arizona in 1679. By the [[Gold Rush]] years of the 19th century, the burro was the [[Pack animal|beast of burden]] of choice of early [[Prospecting|prospectors]] in the western United States. By the end of the [[placer mining]] boom, many of them escaped or were abandoned, and a [[Feral organism|feral]] population established itself.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

=== Conservation status ===
About 41 million donkeys were reported worldwide in 2006.<ref name=mon /> China had the most with 11 million, followed by Pakistan, [[Ethiopia]] and Mexico. As of 2017, however, the Chinese population was reported to have dropped to 3 million, with African populations under pressure as well, due to increasing trade and demand for donkey products in China.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-41524710|title=Donkeys face 'biggest ever crisis'|last=Leithead|first=Alastair|date=2017-10-07|work=BBC News|access-date=2017-10-07|language=en-GB|archive-date=2020-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200208191020/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-41524710|url-status=live}}</ref> Some researchers believe the actual number may be somewhat higher since many donkeys go uncounted.<ref name=starkey/> The number of breeds and percentage of world population for each of the FAO's world regions was in 2006:<ref name=mon />

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
|-
! Region !! No. of breeds !! % of world pop.
|-
| Africa   || style="text-align:right;"|26 || style="text-align:right;"|26.9
|-
| Asia and Pacific || style="text-align:right;"|32 || style="text-align:right;"|37.6
|-
| Europe and the Caucasus || style="text-align:right;"|51 || style="text-align:right;"|3.7
|-
| Latin America and the Caribbean  || style="text-align:right;"|24 || style="text-align:right;"|19.9
|-
| Near and Middle East || style="text-align:right;"|47 || style="text-align:right;"|11.8
|-
| United States and Canada  || style="text-align:right;"|5 || style="text-align:right;"|0.1
|-
| World || style="text-align:right;"|185 || style="text-align:right;"|41 million head
|}
[[File:Baudet.jpg|thumb|The [[Baudet du Poitou]] is among the largest breeds of donkey]]
[[File:Niger, Boubon (11), weekly cattle market, donkeys.jpg|thumb|At a livestock market in [[Niger]]]]

In 1997, the number of donkeys in the world was reported to be continuing to grow, as it had steadily done throughout most of history; factors cited as contributing to this were increasing human population, progress in economic development and social stability in some poorer nations, conversion of forests to farm and range land, rising prices of motor vehicles and fuel, and the popularity of donkeys as pets.<ref name=starkey/><ref name=blench2000/>
Since then, the world population of donkeys is reported to be rapidly shrinking, falling from 43.7 million to 43.5 million between 1995 and 2000, and to only 41 million in 2006.<ref name=mon /> The fall in population is pronounced in developed countries; in Europe, the total number of donkeys fell from 3 million in 1944 to just over 1 million in 1994.<ref name=svend5/>

The Domestic Animal Diversity Information System ([[DAD-IS]]) of the [[FAO]] listed 189 breeds of ass in June 2011.<ref name=dad/> In 2000 the number of [[List of donkey breeds|breeds of donkey]] recorded worldwide was 97, and in 1995 it was 77. The rapid increase is attributed to attention paid to identification and recognition of donkey breeds by the FAO's Animal Genetic Resources project.<ref name=mon/> The rate of recognition of new breeds has been particularly high in some developed countries. In France only one breed, the Baudet du Poitou, was recognised until the early 1990s; by 2005, a further six donkey breeds had official recognition.<ref name=inra/>

In developed countries, the welfare of donkeys both at home and abroad has become a concern, and a number of sanctuaries for retired and rescued donkeys have been set up. The largest is [[The Donkey Sanctuary]] near [[Sidmouth]], England, which also supports donkey welfare projects in Egypt, Ethiopia, India, [[Kenya]], and Mexico.<ref name=ds2006/>

In 2017, a drop in the number of Chinese donkeys, combined with the fact that they are slow to reproduce, meant that Chinese suppliers began to look to Africa. As a result of the increase in demand, and the price that could be charged, [[Kenya]] opened three donkey abattoirs. Concerns for donkeys' well-being have resulted in a number of African countries (including [[Uganda]], [[Tanzania]], [[Botswana]], [[Niger]], [[Burkina Faso]], [[Mali]], and [[Senegal]]) banning China from buying their donkey products.<ref name=":0" />

In 2019, The Donkey Sanctuary warned that the global donkey population could be reduced by half over the next half decade as the demand for [[Donkey-hide gelatin|ejiao]] increases in China.<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/21/worlds-donkeys-being-decimated-by-demand-for-chinese-medicine|title = World's donkeys being 'decimated' by demand for Chinese medicine|newspaper = The Guardian|date = November 20, 2019|last = Murray|first = Jessica|access-date = November 28, 2019|archive-date = November 27, 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191127184023/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/21/worlds-donkeys-being-decimated-by-demand-for-chinese-medicine|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Lesté-Lasserre|first=Christa|date=December 12, 2019|title=Chinese trade in hides has led to global donkey massacre|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/chinese-trade-hides-has-led-global-donkey-massacre|work=[[Science (journal)|Science]]|access-date=January 24, 2020|archive-date=January 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112043455/https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/12/chinese-trade-hides-has-led-global-donkey-massacre|url-status=live}}</ref>