Science and Knowledge of Free-Roaming Donkeys—A Critical Review

• Published in: The Journal of wildlife management Vol. 85; no. 6; pp. 1200 - 1213
• Main Authors: CLANCY, CARA L., KUBASIEWICZ, LAURA M., RAW, ZOE, COOKE, FIONA
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda Wiley 01-08-2021; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Animal welfare; donkey; Equus asinus; feral; free‐roaming; Land management; Literature reviews; non‐native; Qualitative analysis; Reviews; social science; Special Section on Management of Feral Equids; Sustainability management; Wildlife habitats; Wildlife management
• ISSN: 0022-541X; 1937-2817
• DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22090

The emergence of free-roaming donkey (Equus asinus) populations globally has brought novel challenges for conservationists, land managers, and those concerned about animal welfare. We provide a review of the scientific literature pertaining to the place and role of free-roaming donkeys from 1950 until 2020. Using quantitative and qualitative techniques, namely categorical and thematic analysis and critical discourse analysis, to review >100 articles, we critically examine the logics and rationales that are used to either support or denounce donkey presence in particular landscapes and discuss their place and role in different ecological contexts. Free-roaming donkeys are largely understudied and clouded by dichotomous points of view, different conservation agendas, and the presence of other species in donkey habitat. There is an important need for more in-depth, site-specific studies on free-roaming donkeys that draw on tools and techniques from across the social and natural sciences. Such efforts would offer a richer, more holistic, and comprehensive picture of free-roaming donkeys that consider both human and animal perspectives and the wider environment. This has important implications for generating long-term sustainable management solutions for free-roaming donkeys.