Spain's Successful Herbivorous ‘Firefighting’ Donkeys

Known as Doñana’s Firefighting Donkey Battalion, this unit is responsible for preventing wildfires in parts of Spain - all thanks to their remarkable appetites.

Credit: The Spanish Eye

Each summer in Spain, wildfires blaze across the country. Thousands of acres are lost to flames not only due to heat and drought, but also rural abandonment: fewer people, fewer herds, and more vegetation left to grow unchecked. But some communities have found a solution as ancient as it is effective - bringing back donkeys, which have walked beside humans for millennia, to take on a new mission of fighting wildfires. These animals work in small brigades, moving silently through forests with military precision, pulling up weeds, and chewing on them day after day.

For just over a decade, 20 donkeys have been patrolling Doñana National Park, under the auspices of an organisation called El Burrito Feliz (The Happy Little Donkey). The group rescues the animals from abandonment and turns them into what its president, Luis Manuel Bejarano, describes as "the best herbivorous firefighters."

The donkey recruits in Doñana’s Firefighting Donkey Battalion follow a tactical plan: patrolling seven hours daily from March through November along mobile firebreak lines marked by fences. Each day, they head to their assigned area, graze a strip about 130 by 50 feet, and then return to rest. By the end of the day, they’ve consumed all the flammable material in their designated area and dramatically reduced the risk of fire.

The strategy works. While Spain faces increasingly intense wildfires, Doñana National Park - a crucial refuge for European and African birds, Iberian lynxes, and other at-risk species - has not recorded a single wildfire in nine years. “The firefighting donkeys have become a symbol of efficiency,” says Bejarano.

It's hard work, but from the donkeys’ perspective, it’s paradise: They eat freely throughout the day, receive care and affection from caretakers and park visitors, and have shelter at night.

The success of the Andalusian project has inspired others. In the following years, says The Spanish Eye, rural communities across Spain began replicating the idea, adapting it to their own landscapes. Better yet, the success of the project and the publicity it has received in Spain has meant that fire prevention networks around the world - as far afield as Australia - have become interested in the simple but highly-effective system. As a result, this intrepid band of donkeys is beginning to enjoy a degree of fame.

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