Misunderstood beasts of burden

By Charla Huber - Goldstream News Gazette

Published: September 25, 2008 1:00 PM
Updated: September 25, 2008 10:13 PM
Highlands resident Eric Herbert has shared his life with donkeys for the past 25 years.

Most of his Ross Durrance Road property is not fenced off, but a wire travels around the perimetre keeping Holly and Lucy, the donkeys, inside.

“It used to be an electric wire, but we haven’t told them that it has been turned off for years,” Herbert said.

For the most part, the donkeys graze on the property and come to the fence when Herbert whistles.

Holly and Lucy both eat hay and grass in Highlands and for treats they like apples and carrots.

“Originally, donkeys are desert animals and they would wander long distances for very little (food),” Herbert said. “So most pet donkeys (here in North America) tend to be a little overweight.”

Herbert said there are a lot of misconceptions about donkeys and a lot of people don’t know much about them.

“Donkeys are known for being good guard animals. They are commonly used to protect young beef stock,” Eric said. “Once Holly drove off a raccoon who was attacking a rooster. The rooster lost a few feathers, but survived.”

When Herbert couldn’t find an informative book for children on the animals, he wrote one called A Children’s Book About Donkeys.

“Have you ever read a children’s donkey book? They are all fairy stories,” he said. “They give the wrong impression to kids. Donkeys are very intelligent animals.”

Since 2003 the book has sold in Canada, United States and Europe.

Other than being an author, Herbert is also president of the First Donkey and Mule Club of B.C. The club meets four times a year and has more than 80 members on the Island.

When it comes to donkeys, Herbert will talk to just about anybody.

Every August Herbert and the donkeys head to the Saanich Fair. This year Holly and Lucy joined 12 other donkeys in the pens meeting and greeting all the fairgoers.

Herbert has been announcing the ring commentary on and off for 15 years, but he has been informing people about the animals at the fair for 25.

“They ask the usual questions, ‘how long to they live?’ and ‘what do you do with them?’” he said.

The oldest donkey that Herbert has heard of was 64, but most donkeys live for 45 to 60 years.

Holly and Lucy are both in their 20s.

As for what to you do with them? “You love them of course.”

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