A Good of Invaluable Value.

The identity of a territory is an invaluable asset that must be safeguarded, even for the responsibility that comes before the younger generations.

This protection cannot ignore the conservation of the old autochthonous breeds, almost always in serious danger of extinction.

An Ancient and Noble Race.

It is in a logic of sensitivity to environmental and cultural issues that the Associació Pitiüsa Raça Asenca Balear - A.P.R.A.B. proposes the reintroduction of this ancient and noble donkey race, in purity, in the islands of Ibiza and Formentera, where it was once present in significant quantities.

Perfect Commitment.

Our belief is that for the success of protecting an endangered breed, we must take into consideration our knowledge and appreciation of the animal's nature. This calls for a perfect collaboration between conservation and the promotion of social activities that see the donkey as the center of attention.

The Balearic "Ruc".

The Balearic donkey breed, formally Raça Asenca Balear, is a breed native to the Balearic Islands that comes from the ancestral trunk of Equus asinus somaliensis, the Somali donkey.

They are very rustic, noble animals and of great physical strength. Smart, cautious, playful and interested in learning.

Once they have earned your trust, they can be good companions at work and recreation.

Thus, for example, we can mention the growing importance that they are acquiring as cleaning elements of the undergrowth, with the consequent repercussion in the prevention of possible forest fires, as a companion animal, as an element of social reintegration and of therapies for the disabled and, finally, and not least, as a fundamental ingredient of the country's cultural heritage and tourist support for the municipalities in the area.

Between History and Legend.

The fame of this breed at the beginning of the last century was extraordinary and the demand for breeders was very high.

As an example we can point out the great export of these animals to England and later to the United States where they participated in the creation of the famous “Kentucky” breed, known for its strength and size. All this connected to tradition, between history and legend, that wants the stallion "Royal Gift", his remote ancestor, to reach the New World as a personal gift from the King of Spain Carlos III to the "Father of the Fatherland", the general George Washington, who began selecting him on his Mount Vernon property in Virginia, as early as 1785.

The loss of racial purity was aggravated with the relative arrival of other foreign types, mainly donkeys from North Africa, which, due to their smaller size and format, had, at that time, a certain reception, replacing or crossing with those of the local type.

At the end of the 1970s, animals with a certain morphological appearance of the local type did not reach even a hundred specimens.

The breed is currently distributed in the Islands of Mallorca (80%) and Menorca (20%) and had, as of December 31, 2013, a census of 278 breeders distributed by 165 farms.

The Official Catalog of Cattle Breeds of Spain includes it in the group of Native Breeds in Danger of Extinction, Number 39 of February 15, 2012 of the BOE.

Donkeys need you !

As a no-profit association we always appreciate the participation of

those who want to help us. Any help is essential to us.

You can deduct 75% of the first 150 euros and 35% of what exceeds 150 euros.

(Arts. 68.3, 69.1 IRPF Law; 69.2 Regulations)

2016 - 2022 Associaciò Pitiüsa Raça Asenca Balear (A.P.R.A.B.) N.I.F. G16515942