Donkeys were brought from Europe to the New World in the fifteenth century with the Second Voyage of Christopher Columbus, and subsequently spread into Mexico. From about 1785, some large donkeys were imported from Europe to the eastern part of the continent. There are no true-breeding North American donkey breeds.

The modern domestic donkey (Equus asinus) was bred from the wild African ass (E. africanus) in northeastern Africa during the predynastic period of Egypt, about 6,000 years ago.

The African wild ass (Equus africanus) is the wild ancestor of the donkey. Because the earliest donkeys were found in ancient Egypt, archaeologists concluded that they were domesticated from resident Nubian wild ass (E. africanus africanus) by villagers inhabiting the Egyptian Nile Valley.

The use of illegal backdoor routes into a country is known as a ‘donkey flight’, which has emerged as a popular escape path for Indians hoping to immigrate to the US and even Europe.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative covers travel by land, sea, or air from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda: American citizens entering the U.S. must show a valid passport, U.S. passport card, a Trusted Traveler Program card (NEXUS, SENTRI, Global Entry or FAST), or an enhanced driver’s license.

The U.S.-Mexico land border crossing has been closed to non-essential travel since March 2020. Crossings remain open for U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, people with work visas and those traveling for educational or medical reasons, among other reasons deemed essential.

These are very smart animals who really contribute,’ she says. Donkeys were first brought to Mexico by Spanish conquistadors. They flourished and became a symbol of rural life renown for their ability to carry large loads over Mexico’s difficult terrain, but there is a dark side to this donkey tale.