Spain's Donkeys Repurposed for Fire Prevention and Therapy

Spain has almost 4,000 registered donkeys of five native breeds. No longer needed for ploughing, they are now employed as natural firebreaks, grazing to clear vegetation and reducing wildfire risk. The initiative is described as “donkey firefighters”.

In Rute, Córdoba, the reserve run by the Association for the Defense of the Donkey (Adebo) keeps 80 donkeys that regularly clear the surrounding hills. Founder Pascual Rovira notes that unregistered animals could raise the total number. In Tarragona, the “Trivissa Donkeys Firefighter” project, started in 2021 by Joan Cesó with three abandoned donkeys, now fields 62 donkeys that work on 15‑25‑hectare plots in a hierarchical group structure. The Huelva‑based association “El Burrito Feliz” uses 12 donkeys both for preventive grazing and for therapeutic work with ill people. All projects require basic animal care and, according to Rovira, “where the donkeys are, there is no danger of fire.”