We are living on El Hierro, one of the smallest Canary Islands, where in 2018 we started our project to save and breed Majorero donkeys. The Majorero donkey descends from the African wild donkey. During the conquest of the Canary Islands in the 15th century, the Spaniards brought this small race of donkey from Africa to the Canary Archipelago. Those donkeys proved to be perfectly suited for life on the volcanic landscape with its arid climate and steep mountain slopes where farmers had built terraces to cultivate the land. Due to their small size and ability to survive on little food and water, they turned out to be the ideal working animal on the Canary Islands. For centuries donkeys worked and helped humans in agriculture and daily life, ploughing the land and carrying drinking water to the farmhouses. Donkeys used to be the "pickup truck" every family had.
Changes in modern life and transitions in agriculture made the Majorero donkeys obsolete and they were soon on the brink of extinction. Sometimes, like on the island of Fuerteventura, donkeys were simply let loose and still roam around free as "wild donkeys", leading a miserable existence with scarce resources and often being hit by cars.
Some people took the initiative to save the small race of Majorero donkey and today their population is estimated to count between 250-300 animals. We brought a little herd of donkeys to the island of El Hierro, the smallest of the Canary Islands, where we are providing them with a species-appropriate husbandry. With lots of space to roam around and the right fodder, our donkeys are quite happy and content. We plan to breed our Jacks and Jennies and preserve this adorable small donkey.
In April 2019 the first donkey was born on El Hierro, a little Jack named Andy.
After that in the summer of 2022 two more foals were born, Ingi, a Jenny, and Billy, Jack.
If you want to meet our donkeys follow this link.
If you are interested in supporting or helping us with our project you are very welcome to do so and would be most appreciated.