Pack animal

Domestic animals of many species are used in this way, among them alpacas, Bactrian camels, donkeys, dromedaries, gayal, goats, horses, llamas, mules, reindeer, water buffaloes and yaks.

[citation needed] Hauling of goods in wagons with horses and oxen gradually displaced the use of packhorses, which had been important until the Middle Ages, by the sixteenth century.

[3] The use of pack animals "is considered a valid means of viewing and experiencing" some National Parks in America, subject to guidelines and closed areas.

[5] In the 21st century, special forces have received guidance on the use of horses, mules, llamas, camels, dogs, and elephants as pack animals.

The US Army specifies a maximum of 20 percent of body weight for mules walking up to 32 km (20 mi) a day in mountains, giving a load of up to about 91 kilograms (200 lb).

Horse packing with traditional Australian pack saddle
Donkeys packed on the way to a mine in Alma, Colorado, late 1880s.
Donkeys packed on the way to a mine in Alma, Colorado , late 1880s.
Medieval pack horse and donkey in Hortus Deliciarum , Europe, 12th century, when packing was a major means of transport of goods
US Marines training in resupply with pack mules. Bridgeport, California , 2014