The Miranda donkey, or burro de Miranda , is born with a black coat, which will later in life turn brown and can reach 1.35m height. They have white markings around their eyes and muzzle, longer hair and are usually more sociable and docile than other donkey sorts.
Originally, they come from the Terra de Miranda region (hence the name), in the northeast of Portugal. It wasn’t until 2001 that the Miranda donkey was recognised by the Portuguese Department of Agriculture as a distinct breed and, it was the first donkey breed in Portugal to join the group of asinine indigenous breeds protected by the European Union. It’s the only officially recognised donkey breed in the country.
Since 2003, the Miranda donkeys is considered an endangered animal. A study by the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD) suggested there were only 600 registered breeding females and 25 males left. Most males are castrated to make them less aggressive, so the donkeys are at a high risk of extinction. Add to this that most of the farmers who still keep the donkeys are already over the age of 75 themselves and it’s clear that without intervention, the breed could well become extinct before 2050.
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