The donkey (Equus asinus asinus) is in a way the animal that the Catalonians like to represent themselves with, as opposed to the Osborne toro (bull).

Mallorca is not really part of Catalunya, even though both share the same language, or have for at least 800 years, albeit with many differences and variations.

Still, there is a long standing tradition of having donkeys, here on the island of Mallorca, for farming purposes. But, it is said that this tradition is in a decline, as is so much else here, in matters related to agriculture. When there were perhaps 2,000 donkeys in existence in Mallorca, say, twenty years ago, now there seem to be less than 400 burros or so around.

Yes, there may be some more if you count mulas (mules) which are not really donkeys but, an offspring between a male donkey and a female horse.

Whatever the situation, count yourself lucky if you spot one of the rare eeyores. You might have seen one of a futureless endangered species.

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken near Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: October 28th, 2007. The time was 15:48:08.