mulesuk

Yes, apparently passports have been issued to 55k mules in the UK. So where are they all? (Ireland?) or is someone breeding for meat and shipping abroad!! Obviously a proportion of these animals will have possibly died since - we note that paperwork is not often submitted upon euthanasia but still that's a LOT of mulies!!

I just can't see how it can possibly be right, I mean neither my farrier or any of our vets has ever seen a mule before... seems a hell of a number?!!

Have the society registered horses as well and they are included in that number? I know that a lot of horses have donkey passports.

Nope this was apparently Defra and the BMS doesn't issue passports so mules have to be registered with other equines not the other way round

That's really odd as NED only think there's just under 10,000 donkeys - I'm sure there are far fewer mules?

As over 5000 of those donkeys are supposed to be in the Donkey Sanctuary,they've probably got that wrong too

... and you trust DEFRA to come up with a reasonable statistic? Sure they didn't mean mule sheep??!! I just can't believe 55k is right....

I have just been told by next doors nanny that her two donkeys (which I have never got round to finding for a look see) are no longer donkeys but MULES and are about 13 hands. Now I have to remember the directions to her field. Passports? What are passports? they do not even have a bit of paper with vaccinations on.

Well don't just stand there get out on that coach and horses and get piccies!!!!!

I am waiting for the rain to pass so will try to find them tomorrow.

I struggle with the idea of 10.000 donkeys in the UK let alone 55k mules. No not possible! You'd be falling over them! Obviously Eire had the largest number of donkey in these Island before and after WW11 as country families used them for everything and the turf, and I enjoyed my trips to the bog with the Ass and cart to cut it, but now 10.000 would be a lot of donkeys! When I sold 25 mules to the UK in 2004 of of my web site mule folks struggled to believe me as so few mules were known of! But 55.000 is definitely a wind up or a **** up by someone! Still wouldn't it be wonderful if it were true? Albert. Dream on!

The first thing I thought when I heard this was "Albie's been busy selling mules again!" butb I don't think even you can stretch to that many ...wonder how many they have in Spain?

I can believe 10K donkeys as I can think of so many round here and as you said Jenny the donkey sanctuary has so many.

Well when you think of the close proximity that even UK country folk live in. Take away The Moors, tracks of Down Land, Lake Districts, Peak Districts High Lands and Low Land all uninhabited for miles and miles etc etc Your not going to squeeze those Donks in to rural communities without it being more obvious so come on! It's wrong! It must reflect transit animals over a particular period. Here in Spain you could hide a million Donks. I can ride and even drive for a day and hardly see a soul. We have true wilderness only 1/2 hour from here, but in the UK nooo! Unless their all on the Isle of Mull! I think the Donkey sanctuary in Sidmouth has a thousand or so and no one else can compete with that! I was just struck by the tought of how lovely it would be to be woken by a donkey bray than bloomin Rap Crap! I do get woken by a donkey braying here so think I'll stay!
I question for admin,. I seem to have lost the ad photo and the Brows bit off of here so struggling to post more pics! I'm so not a computer wiz!

Sorry have to agree to disagree on this one, I don't think 10,000 donkeys is an unreasonable number when you take into account the donkey sanctuary in Devon (quote: ....Over the years since then more and more donkeys have been taken into care, and to date over 12,500 have passed through the Donkey Sanctuary's gates in the UK and Ireland....) plus there is a donkey sanctuary in Scotland and every other animal sanctuary has a few donks kicking about. Then you have to add to that the number kept as pets (I can think of thirty within ten miles of here) and the fact that the UK has a history of donkeys being used for beach rides... if anything I'd say ten thousand is pretty conservative.

I think the reason you have lost your avatar is that you have re-joined under a different name. You have the account you asked me to close and another live one as well as "mulemanspain"?