Horsetalk.co.nz
Feral desert donkeys are digging wells, giving water to parched wildlife
A kulan in central Asia digging a well. (Petra Kaczensky)
Researchers Erick Lundgren, Arian Wallach, and Daniel Ramp, all with the University of Technology Sydney, describe the remarkable well-digging abilities of equids in desert environments.
In the heart of the world’s deserts – some of the most expansive wild places left on Earth – roam herds of feral donkeys and horses. These are the descendants of a once-essential but now-obsolete labour force.
These wild animals are generally considered a threat to the natural environment, and have been the target of mass eradication and lethal control programs in Australia. However, as we show in a new research paper in Science, these animals do something amazing that has long been overlooked: they dig wells — or “ass holes”.