African wild asses are beautifully adapted to living in hot, dry places. They have large ears that help them to hear far-off sounds and also help them cool down – blood flowing close to the skin in the ears loses heat quickly, like a natural radiator. Their hooves are hard and narrow, perfect for picking across sharp rocks without slipping.
They are fast – African wild asses can gallop at up to 50 kilometres per hour, which is faster than most horses over rough ground. They can also survive for a long time without water, getting moisture from the plants they eat. When they do find a water source, they drink an enormous amount very quickly to top up.
Domesticated donkeys are among the most useful working animals in human history. For thousands of years people across Africa, Asia and Europe relied on donkeys to carry loads, help with farming and transport goods. Today there are about 40 million domestic donkeys in the world – but their wild relatives number only in the hundreds.
Conservation teams in Eritrea monitor the wild ass population carefully. Because the animals roam across large areas of dry scrubland and rocky desert, rangers use camera traps and tracking to count individuals and check on their health. Protecting the wild ass also protects the whole dry-land ecosystem it lives in.