The Catalan donkey: a national symbol, and endangered breed

Montserrat’s serrated mountain peaks, bread with tomato scraped over it, the caganer, the porró, and … the donkey.

Seen on flags, t-shirts, bumper stickers, hats, slippers, and plenty of other places, the Catalan donkey is more than just a breed, it’s a national symbol of Catalonia. 

The Catalan donkey is a breed native to the territory that played a huge role in the development of societies, industries, and agriculture in a pre-industrialized world. Without our equine friends, humanity would not have been able to grow and progress as we have over the past centuries. 

The “ruc català,” as it’s known in Catalan, is a large breed of donkey, typically measuring between 1.40-1.65m in height – on par with the average height of horses, and larger than most other donkeys. Their color is dark brown, with a distinctively characteristic white nose and belly.

It played an integral role in agriculture and in the practice of transporting goods on cart between markets and different towns. The old job of the “traginer” was a ‘mule packer’ – someone who transported goods with the help of animals. The profession is one that became redundant with the advent of rail travel and industrialization, but its history is kept alive with traditions such as the Tres Tombs.

The importance of the donkey to humanity, with a breed native to Catalonia that was so commonly found here, has led it to become a national symbol that has grown rapidly in use over the past few decades. 

Counterpoint to Spanish bull

Shortly after the turn of the millennium, two friends from Banyoles, near Girona, started a viral campaign to counterpoint the omnipresence of the Spanish bull.

Jaume Sala and Àlex Ferreiro used the image created by graphic designer Eloi Alegre and printed thousands of stickers with the image of the donkey, plastering Catalonia with the silhouette of the ass.

The campaign ‘Planta’t el burro’ – “Show off the donkey” – was kicked off, and popularity was immediate.

T-shirts, keyrings, and bumper stickers soon followed, as the Catalan people took to this newly fostered symbol of identity which had started more as a joke among friends. 

Conquering America

But it wasn’t just in Catalonia where the donkeys’ strength was put to use.

George Washington, the first president of the United States of America, knew about the brawn and power of these animals, and decided to bring some members of this breed Stateside with him, to strengthen the whole stock of donkeys and mules in his country.

Some decades later, the Kentucky-Catalan-Donkey breed would become vital in the conquest of the American west. 

Endangered breed

In its heyday, it’s believed that there were around 50,000 specimens of the donkey breed roaming the Pyrenees and plains of Catalonia. Nowadays, however, that number is estimated to have dropped to the mere hundreds. 

Some are doing their best to maintain the Catalan donkey and ensure that the breed survives. The group AFRAC, which stands for the Association for the Promotion of the Catalan Donkey Breed, was founded in 1978 with the objective of protecting, promoting, and improving the lives of the native animal. 

In western Catalonia, Gratitud Pallars is an institution that promotes Pyrenean heritage and supports various micro-sanctuaries, normally found in areas that don’t have official protection, but all of which are designed to help create a more welcoming environment for specific flora and fauna. One of their ‘micro-sanctuaries’ is for the Catalan donkey. 

They’ve recently launched a crowdfunding initiative where people can donate money to help with the upkeep of these donkeys, as the work has largely been left to local farmers who do it as “a hobby.” 

The initiative aims to increase knowledge about this endangered species. Intending to boost preservation, they have launched a new campaign so that they can continue to breed Catalan donkeys.

The initiative came after a couple from Washington traveled to the Pallars region to enjoy a road trip around the 'Cinquè Llac' (Fifth Lake) route and discover the Catalan donkey. At the end of their stay, they wanted to donate to preserve the species, but it was impossible, and from there, 'Apadrina un ruc' (Adopt a Catalan Donkey) was born.