Albino Donkey
Encyclopedia
The Asinara donkey, in Italian Asino dell'Asinara, is a rare breed
of feral
white donkey
indigenous to the island of Asinara
, which lies off the north-west coast of Sardinia
, Italy, in the province of Sassari
. It is one of the seven indigenous donkey "breeds of limited distribution" listed by the AIA, the Italian breeders' association. Alternative names include White Donkey and Albino Donkey in English, Asinello Bianco or Asino Albino in Italian, and Ainu, Borricu or Molenti in Sardinian
. It is given the trinomial systematic name Equus asinus var. albina by some sources.
The habitat of this rare variant of Equus asinus is restricted to the Island of Asinara, declared a National Park in 1997, where the total population is estimated around 90 individuals, and in the natural reserve of Porto Conte in Alghero
.
Breed
A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...
of feral
Feral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
white donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
indigenous to the island of Asinara
Asinara
Asinara is an Italian island of in area. The name is Italian for "donkey-inhabited", but it is thought to derive from the Latin "sinuaria", and meaning sinus-shaped. The island is virtually uninhabited. The census of population of 2001 lists one man. The island is located off the north-western...
, which lies off the north-west coast of Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, Italy, in the province of Sassari
Province of Sassari
The Province of Sassari is a province in the autonomous island region of Sardinia in Italy. Its capital is the city of Sassari.-Geography:It has an area of 4,282 km², and a total population of 322,326 . There are 66 municipalities in the province, the largest of which are Sassari The...
. It is one of the seven indigenous donkey "breeds of limited distribution" listed by the AIA, the Italian breeders' association. Alternative names include White Donkey and Albino Donkey in English, Asinello Bianco or Asino Albino in Italian, and Ainu, Borricu or Molenti in Sardinian
Sardinian language
Sardinian is a Romance language spoken and written on most of the island of Sardinia . It is considered the most conservative of the Romance languages in terms of phonology and is noted for its Paleosardinian substratum....
. It is given the trinomial systematic name Equus asinus var. albina by some sources.
The habitat of this rare variant of Equus asinus is restricted to the Island of Asinara, declared a National Park in 1997, where the total population is estimated around 90 individuals, and in the natural reserve of Porto Conte in Alghero
Alghero
Alghero , is a town of about 44,000 inhabitants in Italy. It lies in the province of Sassari in northwestern Sardinia, next to the sea.-History:The area of today's Alghero has been settled since pre-historic times...
.