BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — At the Franklin Park Zoo, zoo keepers gave a particular animal a little extra attention on Wednesday in honor of World Donkey Day.
The holiday “is really exciting to me because they’re one of the favorite animals that I work with,” shared Megan, who is a keeper at the Franklin Park Zoo.
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Humans have used donkeys and worked alongside them for thousands of years, and World Donkey Day on Wednesday provided zoo keepers like Megan a chance to appreciate the loyal, hard-working, and sometimes stubborn animals.
“Anytime it’s a special day, like World Donkey Day, it’s always fun to make extra time with these guys.”
Megan stood next to a four-year-old Poitou donkey named Inspector Maigret, whose braying kept interrupting her.
But Megan laughed and shared what Inspector Maigret means to her. “I’ve got to work with him since he’s been here, so it’s been a really fun bonding experience, I think, for both of us.”
Poitou donkeys are a large French breed of donkey. They are critically endangered after almost becoming extinct after World War II, when motorized vehicles became more common and the demand for donkeys as work animals decreased significantly.
In 1980, there were fewer than 80 Poitous still alive.
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Poitou donkeys' median life expectancy is around 30 years, and they typically weigh close to 1,200 pounds and are around 4.5 to 5 feet tall.
WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.
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