Current Donkeys
April
Born: 2009
Sex: Female
Type: Miniature donkey
Nickname: Pasture Princess
Claim to fame: Newest addition to Barron Park and the only girl
April joined the Bol Park herd in 2023 when her previous owner had to move to a stable-less home, and reached out to our lead volunteer handler, Jenny. Although April arrived with a number of health problems (including a chronic hoof condition called white line disease) her health is steadily improving, thanks to our volunteers and the amazing equine team at UC Davis.
Buddy
Born: 1999
Sex: Male
Type: Jerusalem miniature donkey
Nicknames: Sidekick, Bud-Bud
Claim to fame: Loves to lick things…People, the pasture gate, you name it!
Buddy came to the pasture in December 2020. He was donated by a local resident of Woodside, CA. She had some donkeys and horses on her farm and thought that Buddy would be a good match for Perry after Perry’s companion, Jenny, passed away. She was right: Buddy and Perry quickly became fast friends!
Perry (Pericles)
Born: 1994
Sex: Male
Type: Jerusalem miniature donkey
Nickname: The Celebrity
Claim to fame: The animation of ‘Donkey’ in the Shrek movies was modeled on our very own Perry.
Perry joined the Barron Park donkeys in 1997. He was originally brought to California to be a calming influence for polo ponies–but instead of calming them, he nipped at them! Thus, Perry needed a new home, and found one in Barron Park. Perry is famous because he was the animation model for Donkey in the Shrek movies. In 1999, animators from Pacific Data Images, a local company contracted by Dreamworks for the 3D animation, visited the pasture and observed Perry, especially his movements and gait, to learn how donkeys move. Unfortunately, although Donkey was a hilarious and well-loved star in Shrek, Perry is not mentioned in the movie credits.