THE
park of
donkeys
and horses
Who are they?
The species
Origins . Donkeys and horses, along with zebras, are part of the Equidae family. Their earliest common ancestor was Eohippus, a small animal that lived in the forests of North America 52 million years ago. The last common ancestor was Dinohippus, dating back 5.6 million years, whose descendants first lived in Asia before spreading to Eurasia. The oldest fossils have been discovered in Europe, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine, where horses were domesticated 5,000 years ago. The ancestors of donkeys reached the Horn of Africa via the Sinai and the Arabian Peninsula 3 million years ago. They were domesticated by humans in the Nile Valley 7,000 years ago. All modern donkeys are descended from these African donkeys.
Characteristics . There are 397 breeds of horses, divided into three categories: riding horses, draft horses, and ponies. Their lifespan is 30 years, while ponies can reach 40 years. Ponies weigh about 200 kg, riding horses about 500 kg. Draft horses can exceed a ton. There are about 200 varieties of donkeys, which can live up to 50 years. Their weight varies between 200 and 500 kg. Female equines generally give birth to a single foal after a gestation period of 11 months (12 for donkeys).
Who are our protégés?
We take in draft horses, ponies, and donkeys. Sometimes these animals come from individuals who had them as pets but had to part with them due to personal circumstances.
As for Percherons (draft horses), they are still used commercially for their milk, which is used to make cosmetics. We are saving these horses from a tragic end at the slaughterhouse.
Although donkeys are less exploited in France, they are still in high demand in agriculture elsewhere in the world. For example, we collect donkeys from Israel, where they were rescued from illegal trafficking that would have taken them via Gaza to Egypt, where they are slaughtered for their skins, which are then sent to China to manufacture pharmaceutical products.
Commercial exploitation
Draft horses are often bred for export as young animals to Italy, Spain, and Japan for meat production. French consumption, which prefers meat from older horses, is partially met by the slaughter of about 5,000 horses per year, but mainly by the import of boneless carcasses from the United States.
As for Percheron cows, they are still used in France for their milk, which is transformed into baby powder and cosmetics.
In France, donkeys are mainly exploited for their milk and for the manufacture of soaps and cosmetics.
The numbers
👉 France operates 77,000 draft horses.
👉 The donkey herd in France numbers around 30,000.
👉 Every year, France exports 22,000 live horses, including more than 10,000 for meat consumption.
👉 4,000 horses are slaughtered in France for meat. Regarding riding horses (intended for horse racing), 5,000 are slaughtered because they are deemed underperforming or at the end of their careers.
Is it necessary to exploit them?
When it comes to cosmetics manufacturing, we absolutely do not need animal products or laboratory animal testing. Horse meat consumption is completely unnecessary in the human diet.
Did you know?
👉 By the end of the 15th century, when Europeans discovered the Americas, equines had disappeared. However, with Spanish colonization and the flight of domestic horses, vast herds of wild horses formed on the continent.
👉 What is a mule and a mule? They are the male and female (naturally sterile) offspring of a donkey and a mare (female horse).
👉 Wild equines can dig holes up to 2 meters deep to reach water. This is thought to have contributed to the domestication of donkeys in North Africa and the Middle East, dry regions where they are thought to have played a role in agricultural development by facilitating irrigation to produce abundant vegetation.