DesertDobes Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-18/guard-donkeys-sent-from-nt-to-nsw/5031174 Outback donkeys guard stock from dog attacks By Gail Liston Posted Fri 18 Oct 2013, 12:06pm AEDT Outback donkeys given new roles as farm protectors PHOTO: New roles: Some of the wild donkeys yarded during a recent muster at Elkedra Station in central Australia. MAP: NT Feral donkeys from central Australia are being used to guard sheep and cattle from wild dogs in New South Wales. Amber Driver from Elkedra Station, north of Alice Springs, says a mob of more than 100 yarded donkeys captured during a recent muster has been sent east. She says donkeys are migrating south through the Northern Territory competing with cattle for food and water. "They are making a big impact on what little grass we have and our water supply for our cattle so it's really good to get the numbers down in a way that can be helpful for someone," she said. "Otherwise, they get culled." An estimated five million donkeys are roaming across remote Australia. Ranger Michael McFarlane from the Hume Livestock Health and Pest Authority in NSW says donkeys may appear docile around people but they have a healthy dislike for canines and will run them off. He is currently training 19 of the animals to watch over sheep and cattle. "Donkeys in any sort of number are really difficult to get," he said. "I was trying to get some tame ones, some quiet ones, but you just can't get them in numbers. "So we just sort of put the feelers out to see if we could get some information and we finally found a bloke who knew a bloke who knew a bloke, and it was just worked on from there." Mr McFarlane says donkeys are already used to protect livestock in Africa. "They are using donkeys a lot over there for protection against leopards and jackals," he said. "It is pretty well noted around the world that they are good protectors." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Very interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe001 Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Everyone with donkeys knew. They use their forelegs to smash strange dogs. Apparently, they don't miss. The saying is with donkeys if they kick at you and miss - they meant to. Many people around here have donkeys running with their cattle for wild dog protection. My donkey runs with cattle and horses but mainly stays with the horse herd so not much use to keep dogs away. Wild dogs are a huge problem. Last year we lost a few calves (and my dog as well) to wild dogs. We saved one calf who was attacked and kept him and his mum in a yard with the donkey for a few weeks for protection. The pack knew he was here and hung around watching. I heard a funny story a while ago. Apparently, a nativity play (in the UK) had the kings leading a donkey. The rest of the actors upfront of the stage with baby Jesus on a black sheepskin. The donkey saw the 'dog' and pushed past all the other participants (pushing a few off the stage) and grabbed the black 'dog'. Baby Jesus (a young girl) was thrown in the air and the donk killed the dog in a very violent fashion. Then dropped the torn remains and stood there looking at the carnage, many of the viewers were running and screaming in horror. My own donkey, Gracie, is good with dogs she knows. When she first arrived I let the dogs out for them to meet (on the other side of a fence). Dog 1 ran up and immediately froze as donk put her head down and just stared at him- eye to eye. Dog bolted back to the car and jumped back in - he knew she was serious. Dog 2 refused to get out of the car. They came to an understanding and both species would walk around each other but not acknowledge the other. Occasionally a dog will bark or give a bit of a chase to the horses, but never with the donkey. Another thing about donkeys is they are great kids ponies. They are calm and don't have the flight reflex of horses. So if they get a fright they freeze. Gracie can be not ridden for months and then ridden and be a quiet as a lamb. She is not fussed on adults (coming from an abusive past) but very gentle with kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertDobes Posted October 19, 2013 Author Share Posted October 19, 2013 I had no idea, I have horses and they are scared of dogs running up to them (got chased by some camp dogs just yesterday and horse took off, had to battle hard to get her to stop and face up to them)even though they are used to being out with our dogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertDobes Posted October 19, 2013 Author Share Posted October 19, 2013 I heard a funny story a while ago. Apparently, a nativity play (in the UK) had the kings leading a donkey. The rest of the actors upfront of the stage with baby Jesus on a black sheepskin. The donkey saw the 'dog' and pushed past all the other participants (pushing a few off the stage) and grabbed the black 'dog'. Baby Jesus (a young girl) was thrown in the air and the donk killed the dog in a very violent fashion. Then dropped the torn remains and stood there looking at the carnage, many of the viewers were running and screaming in horror. :laugh: That would be a nativity play that would keep everyone on the edge of their seats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lhok Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Donkey's don't hold up well against packs of dogs though and I doubt they would be very good against leopards which are ambush predators and can kill singular zebra which would be similar to a donkey. I have seen the aftermath of a pack of dogs that pulled down the donkey once which is why my grandfather switched to livestock guardian dogs however against singular dogs they would be very effective. --Lhok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosmum Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Theres a Mule forum in the U.S that tells of a bunch of people riding out with a few dogs and and a pack mule. A Cougar started to stalk the dogs and the story is the Mule grabbed the cougar by the tail, whipped him 'round a bit then stomped it and rolled on the carcass. Included pics. taken on a mobile. I believe it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertDobes Posted October 20, 2013 Author Share Posted October 20, 2013 The little I've had to do with them they seem quite moody, didn't know they could "hulk" out though and kill things! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kajirin Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Theres a Mule forum in the U.S that tells of a bunch of people riding out with a few dogs and and a pack mule. A Cougar started to stalk the dogs and the story is the Mule grabbed the cougar by the tail, whipped him 'round a bit then stomped it and rolled on the carcass. Included pics. taken on a mobile. I believe it. Apparently the cougar was already dead and the mule tossed around it's carcass, if it's the one I'm thinking of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Everyone with donkeys knew. They use their forelegs to smash strange dogs. Apparently, they don't miss. The saying is with donkeys if they kick at you and miss - they meant to. They also make a fair bit of noise doing it. This tells folk that there's trouble in the paddock. Donkeys have been used as livestock guardians for quite some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 I had no idea, I have horses and they are scared of dogs running up to them (got chased by some camp dogs just yesterday and horse took off, had to battle hard to get her to stop and face up to them)even though they are used to being out with our dogs Not every horse runs. I had a mare that would go any dog within range. And I know of horses that have killed dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozzie Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 My horses don't run. My donkey is a woosy, but our old donkey would take on anything that wasn't meant to be in the paddock. He was a mini and killed a feral goat quickly and efficiently. Sadly, he was not so skilled against the monster brown snake who inhabits our hill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosmum Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 (edited) My horses don't run either. They are used to dogs and will approach a stranger very aggressively. The dogs aren't generaly bold enough to stick around. My kids were once trapped on a gate by a "pet" ram belonging next door that had turned very aggro. when I went down to rescue them the horses were there already trying to run him off. Turned into a bit of a melee with me, the horses and dogs all after the dumb beast who didn't want to give up. Those were also minis. Edited October 20, 2013 by moosmum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Could horses be trained to defend rather than run? Or is it inbreed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosmum Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Could horses be trained to defend rather than run? Or is it inbreed? I wouldn't want to rely on my horses.The flight instinct is very strong. A pack of dogs would likely be a different story. Most horses that stand their ground will only do so up to point.Once their confidence is shaken flight takes over. Some would be more capable than others, but I've only had one horse I think would chose to fight rather than flee once a dog is actualy attacking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 What works as a livestock guardian really depends on the level of the threat. Here in Australia we actually have on average a fairly low threat level, even when at its worst. So many people can get by using Donkeys or Alpaca etc as their only assistance if foxes or the odd feral/wild dog are the problem. With higher threat levels (and in some places worldwide, significantly higher) the only thing that will help is dogs and Alpaca or Donkey's may be fair game (even here in Australia I have heard reports/seen pictures of Alpaca herds decimated by dog packs), and in some places even one or two dogs is not enough (in the US for instance, in some places where wolves have been reintroduced, dogs working in small numbers are being easily killed as they are overwhelmed by the pack. Donkeys wouldnt stand a chance). I have seen pictures of Donkeys and dogs working together to protect a flock (when I say work together I say that the Donkeys and dogs live harmoniously with the flock and the Donkeys play some role as 'alarm' and 'backup' though they themselves are being protected by the dogs too). In places like the Pyrenees in France, Donkeys are a common sight and used as pack and transport animals etc often by the shepherds who also employ dogs to guard their flocks. While better able to protect themselves than the sheep are, they are not effective in protecting a flock and are protected by the dogs themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weasels Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Excellent post Espinay and dead on. Dingoes/wild dogs here are quite different socially to wolves that other countries face, they are more likely to go for livestock individually or in pairs since they have very loose and adaptive pack affiliations. What works best really varies among habitats, livestock types and predator strategies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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