One of the only few left donkeys in Gozo.

Where are all the donkeys gone? Is this the last of them???
Can anyone remember when the sight of a donkey pulling a cart with a farmer and a big baler of hay on top was just an everyday occurrence? I do.

Was that so long ago? I guess not as I am 34 and I do remember seeing the less-than-odd donkey strolling along the road to Marsalforn.

While in North Africa the donkey has never ceased to be the most valuable mean of transport, many other countries are re-discovering the value of this trustworthy and tireless animal, for tourism as well as for everyday use.

In the island of Rhodos (Greece), an island which has a lot in common with the Maltese Islands, beside being still in use as transportation, the donkeys proved to be a great tourist attraction. ( here is an example)

The Island of Pantelleria, who’s proud of its asino pantesco, is taking advantage of the EU founds has started a new project to save their donkey heritage. ( check it out here)

In the little town of Castelbuono in Sicily, has instead recruited six donkey to help the town cleaners as ecological operators substituting the vastly more expensive and much more polluting rubbish vans. ( see the video and the article here)

The move, beside having brought the Castelbuono in the headlines of news all over the world, it has placed the village on the tourist map and worked out as a much cheaper and greener alternative.

So, when is it going to be Gozo’s turn to bring back the donkey?