The donkey or ass (Equus africanus asinus) is a domesticated member of the horse family, Equidae. Asses were first domesticated around 3000 BC, probably in Egypt or Mesopotamia, and now there are more than 40 million in the world. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African wild ass, Equus africanus. A male donkey or ass is called a jack, a female a jenny, a young donkey is a foal. The Miranda donkey, is a breed from the Terra de Miranda region of northeast Portugal. For centuries they were the mainstay of agriculture in that region.
