18 rescued donkeys have stopped wildfires for nine straight years

A herd of 18 rescued donkeys has helped keep Doñana National Park in southern Spain free of forest fires for nine straight years, according to the nonprofit El Burrito Feliz. The method is not complicated. The donkeys eat. From March through November, the animals are released into hard to reach terrain where fire crews and heavy equipment struggle to work, and they graze up to seven hours a day on the dry grass and scrub that fuels Spain's summer wildfires. Donkeys can stomach much tougher, drier plants than cattle or sheep, which makes them well suited to the job. Their unofficial leader is Galileo, who was rescued in poor health and spent his first months recovering in a dog shelter. His caretakers say he sniffs like a dog and has tried to bark. Volunteers from Mujeres por Doñana follow the herd all day, hauling carts of water so the herbivorous firefighters stay hydrated.