ENGLAND, United Kingdom (Reuters) — A self-proclaimed ‘donkey whisperer’ is encouraging people to better understand donkeys’ emotions and mannerisms with the help of technology.
Mark Ineson, owner of ‘Real Donkeys’, has been studying the animals for more than 20 years and says they are very emotive creatures.
“We get the nudges, we get the facial expressions, we get the like dogs give a paw, he lifts a leg to show his emotions that way,” said Ineson about his donkey named Carl.
“[We] work very closely with them, day in day out and pick up on their mannerisms, their emotions, what they’re thinking basically. You can sort of pick up, for example, in their facial expressions in their ears, you know, just in their emotions if that makes sense you know, their body language as such,” he added.
The entertainment group Merlin Events has teamed up with ‘Real Donkeys’ to offer donkey rides “with a difference”. New technology allows children to hear the animals’ brays translated into English.
Chloe Couchman from 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.
Families will be able to book free rides for children on these ‘talking donkeys’ in London’s Jubilee Gardens till Thursday, July 28.