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Burro de Miranda

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Miranda donkey
Country of originPortugal

The Miranda donkey (Equus asinus) is an autochthonous donkey breed located in northeast Portugal.

Appearance

The Miranda donkey is a docile animal with a dark brown coat that sheds as it grow older.[1] It is tall (1.2-1.35 meters at the shoulders), has long hairy ears, large hooves, white markings around its eyes, broad forehead, small eyes with projecting orbital arcades, large and strong legs, short and large neck, unobtrusive withers, short and muscular back, full pectorals and projecting sternum. The development of the breed's charactisics reflects the concordance of several features: isolated environmental conditions, agricultural characteristics of the soil, weather that tends to extremes[2] and socioeconomic standards in the region.[3]

Relationships with humans

Young Miranda donkey before fully shedding coat

For centuries the Miranda donkeys were a mainstay of agriculture in the Terra de Miranda region of Portugal,[4] helping farmers plow[5] and carrying goods. The donkey was at the center of Mirandesa society; major trade fairs, called feiras de burros, were centered around it.[6] Made largely superfluous by mechanization and the end of exploitation of small parcels,[7] they are no longer profitable as work animals, and now are little more than companion animals for the elderly.[8] The majority are now cared for by older farmers, who are then eligible for E.U. subsidies. For preservation it is problematic that almost only old people keep this breed. Ninety percent of Miranda owners are over 75 years of age;[9][10] extinction of owners is felt to be a main risk for extinction for the animals.[11] The Miranda Plateau[12] represents the decay of the country’s countryside: agriculture is a very difficult and unprofitable business; the young go to the cities and leaving only some of the old behind.[7] The villages have been depopulated.[13]

The majority of the donkeys are well-cared for, many owners viewing the animals as part of their family.[14] Even with subsidies, they are not profitable,[15] and when the animal can no longer work, or be supported by the farmer, they generally end up being sold for slaughter;[16] few are given free to shelters.[17] Before roads were paved and dams were built in the 1960s, owners pushed unwanted animals off the cliff over the River Douro,[18] "their bones to be picked clean by vultures."[19] Since 2003, they have been listed as an endangered breed. The number of animals has stabilized at around 800, a quarter of the number in the 1970s,[20] as conservationists have taken an active role in preserving the breed.[21] Despite its central role in traditional Portuguese rural life, they were previously looked at as little more than agricultural tools, neglected over the centuries and felt to be poor relatives among the equidae.[22] With the efforts of the conservationists, this view is changing, and now, after decades of neglect, they are felt to symbolically represent a fading rural cultural tradition.[23]

In the past the Miranda donkey was known as the "poor's motor," a docile and safe companion of the rural farmers, its "arms and legs," its entetainment and the one keeping them active and useful. But, the move to modernity made the Miranda donkey redundant; in adapting to the changed rural socioeconomic landscape, new uses have had to be found for the Miranda donkey to save it from biological extinction. This is the aim of the preservationists, to keep alive an indigenous breed in order to save a genetic, ecological and cultural heritage unique to Portugal.[24]

'Modern uses of the donkey

The use of the donkey as an eco-tourism resource is emerging in Portugal. Tourist donkey trekking tours are popular, particularly beneficial for those who could not otherwise negotiate difficult terrain.[25] The re-emergence of fairs,[26] festivals, donkey racing[27] and shows invigorates old local traditions and customs, with the donkey as the tool for education and awareness. This knowledge enhances a tourism targeted to environmental awareness and cultural respect.[28][29] Arguably less positive for the well-being of the donkey and threatening their "symbolic and cultural worth" is the use of the animal for industrial donkey milk production.[30] In a strongly worded statement, this has been opposed by conservationists.[31] The milk is used for expensive soaps, skin creams and cheeses.[32] Its nutritional value has suggested it may be a substitute for children with intolerane for cow's milk.[33] Asinoterapia, a branch of animal therapy, uses the donkey as a co-therapist, taking advantage of its natural docility, patience, attentiveness and intelligence. It was developed in the 1970s in several countries and has been recently introduced into Portugal, where its use is increasing.[34] This therapy is particularly effective for children with disabilities, providing them with sensory enrichment and helping with their biological and social development; it is also effective for emotional disorders such as anxiety.[35]

References

  1. ^ "Donkey Breeds in Europe" (PDF). Save-foundation.net. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  2. ^ "The World Within Us" (PDF). Aidglobal.org. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  3. ^ "Naturasin Protegendo as nossas raizes". Naturasin.pt. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  4. ^ Paintset.Pt. "~Herdade Serra Do Loureiro~". Serraloureiro.pt. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  5. ^ http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1007187
  6. ^ http://www.destak.pt/artigo/74181
  7. ^ a b "Donkey Conference @ SOAS". Soas.ac.uk. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  8. ^ "Forages and Grazing in Horse Nutrition - Google Books". Books.google.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  9. ^ Photo
  10. ^ Photo of elderly with donkey Retrieved 12/23/2013
  11. ^ "ECO Development Projects : Donkey Milk" (PDF). Rederural.pt. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  12. ^ "Photograph". Ipb.pt. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  13. ^ "XI edição da Feira do Naso - Mostra de Asininos de Miranda - AEPGA". Aepga.pt. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  14. ^ "UK charity helps Portuguese volunteers create 'retirement shelter' for tired donkeys". The Portugal News. 2013-02-27. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  15. ^ "Hard Times for a Small (and Fuzzy) Group of Europeans". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  16. ^ "Before and After". Donkey Shelter. 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  17. ^ "About Us". Donkey Shelter. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  18. ^ "Photograph : Barragem de Miranda do Douro". Upload.wikimedia.org. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  19. ^ "In Portugal, Mirandese Spoken Here — and Only Here". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  20. ^ New York Times Nov 29, 2013, 12.08PM IST. "Austerity in Europe: Even donkeys face hard times - Economic Times". Economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ "AEPGA". Aepga.pt. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  22. ^ "Miranda Donkeys". English.herdade-da-mata.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  23. ^ ""Donkey Rides in the highlands of Miranda do Douro as it happens during " Por Tierras del Rei" festival, around the spring time, allows the joyfull encounter with the rural world and represents one of the most important of the cultural activities developed by AEPGA, na association intended mostly for the protection and enhancement of the Miranda Donkey from the Northeast region of Portugal." ©Joao Pedro Marnoto". Lightstalkers. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  24. ^ http://en.lifecooler.com/lifecooleren/asinino-cattle-study-and-protection-association-theme-parks-411480-1.html
  25. ^ Sofia Elsa. "donkey hiking & trekking algarve". Donkey-trekking-algarve.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  26. ^ http://www.aepga.pt/eventos/feira-do-azinhoso-1696242675/programa-79883002/
  27. ^ www.youthforeurope.eu/uploads/call_for_partners.rtf
  28. ^ "Faith in Donkeys". Faith in Donkeys. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  29. ^ "Ecobiketour - AEPGA". Aepga.pt. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  30. ^ "NATURASIN - a Traditional Milk Product from Donkeys - RDP PROJECTS - ENRD - European Commission". Enrd.ec.europa.eu. 2011-04-20. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  31. ^ ""Symbolic and cultural" worth of Miranda Donkey under threat by mass-milk production". The Portugal News. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  32. ^ [1] [dead link‍]
  33. ^ http://www.soas.ac.uk/history/conferences/donkey-conference-2012//archive-of-previous-papers/file86174.pdf
  34. ^ "Curso Intensivo em Terapia e Actividades Assistidas por Asininos - AEPGA". Aepga.pt. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  35. ^ "Asinoterapia". Aepga.pt. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
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