Guard donkeys protect Australian cows

Donkeys are being used to protect herds of cattle from wild dogs on Australian farms.

Donkeys hate dogs and aggressively confront them and attack them.

They are now increasingly being used by Queensland farmers to protect cattle herds which are threatened by packs of wild dogs.

Grazier Claire Kapernick told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that she started investigating donkeys as cattle security guards instead of using poisons last year after losing four calves to wild dogs on her Queensland property near the city of Gympie.

"I'm not a huge fan of baiting (poisoning) because of the other animals that can be killed from it so I looked for other options," she said.

"I'd heard about using donkeys as wild dog control, so I started looking into it, but found out that they're pretty jolly expensive because every other person seemed to be doing the same thing."

But she was able to buy two male donkeys.

"We're still getting to know them, we're still trying to get them used to us," she said.

"When they first arrived, I don't think they'd been around people, they're only young and they wouldn't even come near us.

"Now we can sort of scratch their heads and I just love the way they flick their ears and sometimes when they're in a cheeky mood they'll kick their heels up.

"All the stories that I've heard, they really have an abject hate of dogs and will just keep them away from their cows once they know that's the herd they need to belong to

"They're very good protectors." Endi