DOMESTIC donkeys were bred from wild African asses, making donkeys the only important domestic animal we know of that came from Africa.
Animal domestication has been a key development in human culture. We first domesticated animals such as horses, camels and donkeys for carrying loads and people some 5000 years ago, around 5000 to 6000 years after domesticating cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.
Donkeys were the real workhorses of animal transport, being smaller, more durable, easier to handle, and easier to feed than horses. The oldest donkey remains date from 5000 to 6000 years ago in Egypt and slightly later…
