Horse's Heartbreak Over Being Separated From Baby Donkey Is Pure Emotion

At M&W Farms, a horse by the name of Shasta is feeling quite unhappy. The reason? A baby donkey was returned to the barn, and Shasta is not taking it well. On-screen text in the video explains, “She’s so sad and mad that we took the baby donkey and put it in the barn,” while a caption adds, “Shasta is once again upset she cannot be the mother to another new baby here on the farm.” One can only feel for Shasta.

“'The absolute audacity,'” wrote top commenter @Wrinkles the Clown. Indeed, her lovely face makes the indignation plain to see. @Benny Frank echoed the sentiment, “She can’t believe you would side with the actual mother of the child.” It bears repeating to Shasta that the baby donkey is right there with his donkey mother.

Then @Drunk Octopus Wants To Fight offered perhaps the finest response of all: “Horse lawyer, here. Your Honor, since custody is being contested, may we at least negotiate visitation?” Shasta certainly has earned that much.

The video did not show the baby himself, so we turned to his birth announcement clip to meet the little one who has won Shasta’s heart. It was worth it. The fuzzy newcomer arrived on Christmas Eve and goes by the name Dominick. Commenters were charmed, with @Betty Bryan790 writing, “Aaaaaaw precious.” That sums it up nicely. “Ahh what a perfect baby,” @Mich added, and the farm replied, “Thank you! He’s a doll!” We are eager to see more of Dominick, and so is Shasta.

What is the connection between horses and donkeys?

Horse and donkey videos come up often, but what exactly links these animals? Though they are separate species, they share a great deal. Donkeys, horses, and zebras all fall within the same family, equidae, and the same genus, equus. Beyond that, their genetic paths diverge.

The BBC looked into this question and offered some ways to tell them apart, noting that horses have shorter ears and that “Horses are taller than mules, donkeys, and ponies.” Horses also tend to have smoother coats, while donkeys are generally fuzzier (Dominick being a clear example). And when a donkey father and a horse mother are bred together, the result is a mule.

In this situation, Shasta has chosen to look after her baby donkey no matter their differing species. We hope to see the two of them together again before long.