The Ponui or Ponui Island Donkey is a breed and feral population of domestic donkey from Ponui Island, in the Hauraki Gulf off New Zealand. It is the only feral donkey in New Zealand. It may also be called the New Zealand Donkey.[3]: 42
| Conservation status |
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|---|---|
| Other names |
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| Country of origin | New Zealand |
| Distribution | New Zealand |
| Standard | Donkey & Mule Society of New Zealand |
| Traits | |
| Height |
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| Coat | light dun or chocolate, with darker dorsal stripe |
| |
History
Frederick Chamberlin bought Ponui Island from the New Zealand government in 1854.[4] Donkeys were brought to the island together with other livestock from New South Wales, and a feral population established itself. The Ponui Island Donkey now has formal breed status,[5] and some are distributed in mainland New Zealand.[2] It is registered by the Donkey & Mule Society of New Zealand. The Ponui is listed as 'rare' by the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand;[2] it is not among the New Zealand livestock breeds reported to the DAD-IS database of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.[6]
Characteristics
The Ponui donkey is docile and sturdy. It stands about 1 metre at the withers. It is usually light dun in colour, but may be chocolate; broken-coloured donkeys cannot be registered.[7]