Attack donkeys that prevent wild dog attacks on sheep are the philosophers of the animal world

Mic McFarlane reckons his specially trained attack donkeys are the philosophers of the animal world. He has 19 feral donkeys from Central Australia he is using in a trial to guard sheep from wild dogs in the southern Riverina area of New South Wales. The Hume Livestock Health and Pest Authority pest animal ranger said he got them about two weeks ago and they were now quiet enough to handle in the yards and put a rope on.



"When they unloaded the donkeys off the truck at six o'clock on a Saturday morning I thought, 'What the hell am I doing?"' he said. "(But) they are amazing animals, they learn very quickly and respond very much like a dog. They’re remarkable animals, they’re super intelligent. They look like a horse with big ears but I’ve found it’s best to train them like they’re a dog with big ears. The thing is if they they don't want to do it, they don't do it.

"I really do believe now they are the philosophers of the animal kingdom, they will stare and look and look and look, and until they are satisfied they will not move. But I will be matching donkeys to landowners depending on their temperaments. If there is somebody who I don't like, I will give them the one that kicked me. He is named Shithead." Mr McFarlane said he first trialled a few donkeys in February which he purchased in Victoria but it was difficult to buy big numbers of them, except feral ones.



He said the property that had used the donkeys had lost about 100 sheep in the previous year but since February there had been no attacks. The donkeys are initially kept in a small yard with a small amount of sheep or goats and the area and the number of animals are slowly increased. That is until the sheep and donkeys are first class mates. "Once they have bonded that flock becomes their mob," he said. "They have a natural hate of canines. They hate them for some reason."