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Mark Ineson,
owner of "Real Donkeys" in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, has been
studying the animals for more than 20 years and says they are
very emotive creatures.
Entertainment group Merlin Events has teamed up with "Real
Donkeys" to offer donkey rides "with a difference" in London's
Jubilee Gardens. New technology allows children to hear the
animals' sounds translated into English, and into full
sentences.
"We get the nudges, we get the facial expressions," he said,
adding that like dogs, donkeys "give a paw, he lifts a leg to
show his emotions that way," said Ineson about his 12-year-old
donkey named Carl, one of 17 donkeys he owns.
Some of Ineson's donkeys have won awards such as "Best Beach
Donkey".
"(We) work very closely with them, day in day out, and pick up
on their mannerisms, their emotions, what they're thinking
basically," Ineson said.
Chloe Couchman, a spokeswoman at Merlin Events, explained that
the technology behind the translators analyses the unique
sounds, frequencies and vibrations of each donkey's "ee-aww,"
triggering a phrase that reflects what the donkey is feeling.
"As you can see above," Ineson wrote on his website, referencing
a photograph of him kissing a donkey, "I love my donkeys very
much and would never swap them for the world."
Families will be able to book free rides for children on the
"talking donkeys" in Jubilee Gardens until Thursday.
(Reporting by Jane Witherspoon; Editing by David Gregorio)
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