This is Why Farmers Sell Their Weapons and Buy Donkeys

every year farms are attacked by wild animals clever farmers tried to come up with different ways of protection they fortified pastures built high fences bought impressive guns got the scariest dogs sooner or later all attempts fail but farmer steve was the smartest of them all steve got a donkey nine million dollars this is how much the texas farmers lost in 1988 due to predators after the losses were calculated donkeys came into play back then in order to save the livestock they were used alongside traps sirens propane cannons and lights all the devices people got thanks to technological progress but the most common donkeys proved to be much better a year later the texas ranch was guarded by 1800 donkeys but how could this have happened i mean we're talking about donkeys they're stubborn not very smart and aren't like herding dogs at all you have to admit it's hard to confuse the two this is what the common people think but farmers have long known the secret of donkeys these seemingly harmless animals have an innate hatred for dogs in their kin coyotes foxes wolves donkeys do not care they simply do not want to see these animals on their territory even if the predators knew how to argue and prove they're not related to dogs it would not work the donkey thinks that someone is threatening the herd which means he'll take measures a loud shriek that will attract a farmer's attention and instant chase and in some cases powerful kicks with the front hooves donkeys only seem harmless but do not even try to trespass on their territory or mess with the herd they protect getting hooked from a donkey is as ridiculous and embarrassing as it gets imagine if the predators were telling each other how their hunt was i caught a deer today i caught a hair and i was attacked by a guard donkey [Laughter] on average one donkey can guard up to 200 sheep or goats if they all graze on the same area which is clearly visible the better the donkey is trained wait trained donkeys do they have some kind of camps where they take basic military training to later protect the poor sheep as strange as it may sound yes they do moreover donkeys are not only trained people even breed animals with prominent guard qualities well you know how it works the right genes here the right genes there and voila now your donkey is not eeyore but a real rambo of course super donkeys like any thoroughbred animals are more expensive than ordinary ones on average we're talking roughly eight hundred dollars instead of 500. you you sell me donkey i don't know what it is but you have got it but of course everything depends on the breed the seller the gender of the animal females are better at protecting ordinary males can be too aggressive when it's not warranted for example they sometimes mistake a newly born lamb for an intruder trespassing on their territory what has he been here before no he has not there are also a bunch of other features that dictate the choice of animal size the donkey must be medium or large otherwise it won't handle the predator temper some animals take their responsibilities way too seriously well stuff like that but why are donkeys so great let's compare so a donkey has excellent eyesight and hearing a loud voice speed powerful hoof kick strong teeth and a very calm temper the donkey will adequately assess the situation and with only one cry he can scare the predators away what do the ladder have well yes teeth and claws not enough for confrontation and they're also not smart enough hold on we'll cover this a bit later in short if a herd is attacked by one predator he simply stands no chance but what about the pack a pack of predators versus a pack of donkeys it's gonna be legendary already see this epic battle in the style of gangs of new york wall-to-wall well or not donkeys seem to be good only for one-on-one battles okay actually donkeys are really cool during the first world war one donkey even received the purple cross for helping its owner rescue the wounded from the battlefield saving more than 300 people didn't even expect donkeys could do that did they have courage in their dna maybe donkeys like horses and zebras descended from a common ancestor of the equity family it is believed that in the course of evolution ancient animals adapted to running in open spaces and grew longer legs eventually common horses got their prime body zebras got stripes for camouflage or some other purpose scientists have not yet come to an agreement on that well the donkeys got their stubbornness actually what people usually call stubbornness is a more developed sense of self-preservation donkeys are less attached to people so getting them to do what donkeys do not want to do or what they consider dangerous is very hard this is despite the fact that donkeys were domesticated at least 5 000 years ago maybe they're a bit stubborn indeed there are over 40 million donkeys in the world today or probably even more considering all their usefulness even i already want to get myself one and i don't even have a sheep herd [Music] however donkeys are not always used as guards as i said they need an area that is clearly visible very large pastures with rugged terrain dense bushes or trees are clearly a bad fit for donkeys it is too easy for predators to hide the view is not clear enough well you get the idea and then what are people supposed to do ask technology for help of course the area is surrounded by high voltage electric fences which do not allow predators to get inside i guess it means the power's off [Music] sometimes people set up traps with poison which kill all predatory animals indiscriminately no wonder they're banned but most often herding dogs come to the rescue they protect the herd from predators and strangers help move animals from place to place return those who got lost along the way and do a bunch of other useful things these skills of herding dogs have been honed over hundreds of years and are fixed as behavioral patterns they say that especially thoroughbred dogs do not even need to be trained but if dogs are so great why do people need donkeys at all or get frustrated when the latter don't want to do something is this loyalty to traditions nope more often than not the reason is donkeys have more perks on average they live several times longer than dogs well some even lived up to 60 years they're not likely to escape if the fences of course are in good condition and the purchase and maintenance of donkeys will cost a lot less a donkey will cost you between 500 and 800 depending on its guarding qualities at the same time the price tag for a purebred herding dog can start from a thousand dollars donkey maintenance cost is between 150 and 200 per year this includes homemade food hoof trimming and various minor stuff in general a donkey can eat the same grass that his herd feeds on as for dogs regular vet checks alone including routine checkups vaccinations lab tests and dental care can cost anywhere from seven hundred to fifteen hundred dollars per year don't forget about food it'll cost you from one hundred twenty dollars per year you may also need various toys treats collars leashes and other stuff don't get me wrong dogs are cute and cool i really love them but given the price difference money is a key factor you sir are fired of course there's another way of defense against predators guns but this is risky there are many restriction laws and you will not stand with a gun all day next to the pasture or follow the herd also if you love all animals even those trying to eat your sheep donkeys are a perfect choice they will not kill the predator unlike all other ways of protection but only scare it well or give it a beating now back to the intelligence of donkeys i already mentioned they are smarter than predators but let's be honest it's too hard to believe we tend to think donkeys are stubborn and stupid but scientists are confident they have an excellent memory and excellent learning skills a 2013 study by the donkey sanctuary found that donkeys can learn and solve problems just as fast as dolphins or dogs you get it right you can boast this level of intelligence and certainly not some hungry coyote nora matthews of that at texas a m university says outright that donkeys for example are smarter than horses try arguing with someone who's been studying donkeys for 15 years but with great power comes great responsibility oh that's the wrong line with great intelligence comes cunning of course you're a girl dragon cause you're just wreaking a feminine beauty imagine you have animals followed by a whole herd of other animals and the first animal suddenly decides to take a walk yes donkeys are unlikely to escape but just imagine it do you think fences or some bolts can stop it ha in west covina california a herd of sheep and goats led by a donkey went for a walk through the night streets actually their pen was closed but someone opened the gate and you know i think i know who that was the police tried to return the fugitives to the pen but the donkey acted like a donkey would that is resisted the arrest and did not move only with the help of the sheriff and the owner the animals were returned home fortunately no one was hurt the incident happened in 2018 and it looks like the donkey hasn't made any escape attempts since then yet not until he comes up with the perfect plan see you later [Music]

Channel: WATOP

Views: 7,155,473

Rating: 4.8463492 out of 5

Keywords: WATOP, Wa Top

Id: 3lFG1ps3wak

Length: 9min 31sec (571 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 08 2021