Feral donkeys in Australia

Feral donkeys were first brought to Australia as pack animals to replace horses, which had succumbed to native poisonous plants.

However, problems arose when the horses used in transportation began to become sickened by some of the native poisonous plants.

[3] There are some negative effects that feral donkeys may have on the environment: they may spread weeds by carrying seeds in their hair and faeces, they may damage vegetation through overeating, they may foul watering holes in the drought season, and they can cause erosion with their hard hooves.

Feral donkeys also affect local agriculture, as they sometimes overeat pasture grasses and destroy fences.

Helicopters with highly trained and accredited shooters have replaced this technique in places where the terrain makes mustering too difficult.

There is some trafficking of donkey skin for making donkey-hide gelatin in traditional Chinese medicine.