Summer seems a long time ago now, sitting here with the rain coming down all day. More pictures from my August roll of film, this time. Back at the zoo with Cal and Liddy, the digital shots some of you saw on the Otherverse Blog.
I’d never heard of these giant donkey’s before, so here is the informtion you are gagging to know too now..
The Baudet du Poitou, also called the Poitevin or Poitou donkey, are (no surprise) bred by the Pesky French. They were (?)created by breeding male donkeys with lady Poitevin horses to produce Poitevin mules which were formerly in worldwide demand for agricultural and other work. The Baudet has a distinctive coat, which hangs in long, ungroomed locks or cadenettes. They were possibly bred from donkeys introduced to the area by the good ol’ Romans. According to wiki they were also possibly a status symbol in the middle ages at least in France, (will rely on April for corroboration on that point) I suppose like having a top specs Range Rover is today, or was, maybe not so much now with climate change and the cost of fuel. Anyhoo, I digress. By the 1800’s France had established a studbook for the breed, and the 19th and early 20th centuries saw them being used for the production of mules throughout Europe. (Is anyone else thinking ‘genetic engineering to the max?) During this same time, Poitou bloodlines were also used to develop other donkey breeds, including the American Mammoth Jack in the United States. Then came mechanisation and by 1977 there were only 44 giant donkeys left in the world. There are more now because of private and public breeding and by 2005 there were 450 purebred Poitou donkeys. They are still an endangered species, their population is below 800 animals worldwide, with 60 of them in the UK.
A Ring Tailed Lemur surprisingly in focus! Interesting factoid:-
Ring-tailed lemurs have scent glands on their wrists, which they then rub all the way along their tails to then waft their tails at other lemurs in ‘stink fights’! As of early 2017, the population in the wild is believed to have crashed as low as 2,000 individuals due to habitat loss, poaching and hunting, making them far more critically endangered, despite reproducing readily in captivity and being the most populous lemur in zoos worldwide.
Fallow Deer have been around for over 8000 years, and are now found roaming free on every continent except Antarctica.
Liddy ~ a unique member of homo sapiens, the most abundant and widespread species of primate. And she is a little monkey!
That’s it for this week! Phil and I are off to Edinburgh today, to the Murrayfield Stadium where Scale Scotland are having their model show, if the Pesky Scots have internet connection up there, I’ll catch up with y’all later.
📷 🎞 😊
fragglefilm 
I love the big shaggy donkeys!
Enjoy the model show, and watch out for those pesky Scots.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Haha will do, cheers Pete!
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Such furry donkeys! I’ve not seen anything like that here in the States, even in our zoos.
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They were fab! Cheers Melanie!
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The lemurs look like trouble. Not like the donkeys. Donkeys are actually very smart. We used to have one to shepherd cattle.
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The donkeys were huge, and lovely.
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Have fun at beautiful Murrayfield Stadium! Watch out for highland cows!
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No cows seen as yet. Will take a photo if I see one.
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Are you planning a trip up Arthur’s Seat? Pics or it didn’t happen! Where are you staying? Is the rubbish still living the street?
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I can understand your concern with rubbish having to live rough. Homeless rubbish should be an issue we come together on. It belongs in a bin.
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No Rubbish in the street thankfully, staying at The Murrayfield Hotel. No trip up ARthurs seat this time, we’ll be at the stadium all day then home tomorrow evening.
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Hi Jane, beautiful photos! The kids are just gorgeous. It’s incredible summer is gone! Happy Autumn to you!
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Thanks Elizabeth, Happy AUtumn to you too!
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It turns out donkeys are really useful for protecting sheep from wild dogs, which is becoming a bit of a problem in some places now. But I have never seen these ones before….great photos! Love Edinburgh, I hope you get some great photos there!
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Thanks Steve, well I was only there for the day and most of that in the rugby stadium, so not much photography I’m afraid.
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I had never heard about giant donkeys. Lovely photos, fragglerocking. Thank you : )
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Cheers Francis.
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I always learn something here…and today, two things big shaggy donkeys and lemur stink fights …ta Fragglex
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Always a school day 🤣 you’re welcome!
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