Burro (“Jenny”)
Equus asinus asinus burro

Description:  Burros have stocky bodies, long ears, and a short mane.  The burro is black, brown, or grey in color with a lighter underbelly.  It has a distinctive black stripe down its spine with another stripe going across its shoulders. Its most noticeable feature is probably its oversized ears.

Size:  Adult burros weigh approximately 700 lbs and can reach a height of 5 feet at the shoulders.

Individual animal information:  Cosley Zoo purchased Jenny from Fund for the Animals in 1981.  She is part of a group of burros living in the Grand Canyon that was going to be euthanized due to the severe habitat destruction they had caused.  Fund for the Animals raised money to have the animals airlifted out by helicopter and then found adoptive homes for them.  Born in 1980, Jenny is the oldest animal at Cosley Zoo.

Adaptations:  Burros have many adaptations that allowed them to survive in the deserts of Africa where they originated. 

• Their small cupped hooves allow them to be very agile in climbing steep slopes and rocky surfaces. 
• Burros can go for long periods of time without drinking.  In fact, they can lose up to 30% of their body weight in water without negative consequences.  They can regain all the water they lost after only 5 minutes of drinking.
• The tough digestive system of burros allows them to eat rough vegetation that most animals would find inedible. 
• Because they generally live in areas where food is scarce, burros often spread out in order to find food and do not generally live in close proximity to other burros.  They are able to communicate over long distances with their loud braying calls and large ears that are able to pick up even faint sounds.

Diet:  Jenny’s diet consists of hay and a commercial horse diet.  She also receives fruits and vegetables during her training sessions and for enrichment.

Reproduction:  Burros have a 12-month gestation period, which is slightly longer than that of a horse. Usually, a female burro gives birth to one foal at a time.  Twins are rare and undesirable due to their weakness and smaller size.

Shelter and space needs:  Although they can tolerate cold weather fairly well, burros do need shelter from the wind and rain.  During the day, Jenny gets fresh air and exercise in her outdoor yard.  Each evening she is led into her stall inside the barn, where she spends the night.  Jenny is only brought indoors during the day in the case of extreme weather conditions such as heavy rain or lightning.

Life expectancy:  Burros can live to be 25 to 30 years old.

Importance to man:  Although they have a reputation for being stubborn, burros are intelligent animals that calm down and domesticate easily.  They are excellent pack animals because they are extremely hardy, sure-footed, and less subject to injuries than horses.  Burros can also be used as guard animals for protecting livestock such as sheep and goats from predators.  In addition, they can be used for riding and raised for show.

Fun Facts:

• Burro is another name for donkey.
• A male burro is called a jack, and a female is a jenny.
• Wild burros originated in Africa, where their abilities to carry large amounts of weight, eat a variety of foods, and go without water for long periods of time made them valuable pack animals. 
• Christopher Columbus is believed to have brought the first burros to this country on one of his ships in 1495.
• In ancient Egypt, female donkeys were kept as milk producers.  Their milk contains more protein than the milk of a cow.
• If a male donkey is bred to a female horse, their offspring is called a mule.
• Jenny and other burros that were removed from the Grand Canyon were descended from burros that were brought there by gold prospectors in the mid 1800s.