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Dougal's Pet Corner
The place for your pet stories and pictures, let me have them |
| DONKEYS |
What exactly is a donkey? Where
do they come from? Are they stupid? Why do we speak of "donkey's years"? Here
are the answers to some of these questions and more.
The donkey is properly known by the Latin name Equus asinus. He is also known as the ass,
sometimes called a moke (originally by Welsh gypsies), a burro by Spanish-influenced
Americans, and as a cuddy by some Scots. Donkeys are related to horses and ponies, which
are naturally native to lush grasslands, prairies and steppes. However, donkeys are
adapted to the marginal desertland, so their food needs are less. Due to their physical
characteristics, particularly at the shoulder, donkeys are slower and less powerful than
horses, although they do have an initial turn of speed over a short distance. In the wild,
donkeys live further spread out from each other than horses. Hence they have amazing
voices, which can carry up to two miles, and of course their delightful ears which are
bigger than horses' so they can more easily hear a distant neighbour. Domestic donkeys
come in a wide range of colours: from black to white, through every shade of grey and
brown, even pink, which is correctly known as pale strawberry roan. They also come in
broken colours, bi- and tri-colours being very popular as they are rarer. We cannot be
sure how man first come to cooperate with the donkey. (Yes, you do cooperate with a
donkey! It is a highly intelligent animal which, unlike a horse, will not be commanded
blindly into a situation of danger: donkeys would not make steeplechasers or three-day
eventers.) However, due to their patience and persistence, donkeys found a very valid role
as a surefooted pack animal and draught animal. The donkey has an ill-founded reputation
for being stubborn and stupid. This almost certainly reflects their handlers'
characteristics rather than their own. Donkeys can be very long lived. Donkeys of 60 years
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have been recorded, but normally a 40 year
old donkey is looked on as being elderly. You can appreciate why we refer to 'donkey's
years' as being a long time (though this may also owe something to the length of donkeys'
ears, a play on words!). Of course 'donkey work' is always demanding and arduous. |
It's not clear where the expression 'talking the hind legs
off a donkey' comes from, though! Today a donkey's life is a lot more tolerable even if it
is spent working giving rides on a beach, as there are rules to ensure the donkeys are
well looked after and not overworked or abused. Also there are organisations, the Donkey
Breed Society being one, which look after the best interests of all donkeys: our slogan
'Working for all donkeys' sums it up. The Society was formed over 25 years ago and helps
to oversee the well-being of donkeys in Britain today. Nowadays it is much more likely
that the donkeys you will see will be family pets, often being shown, driven, taken for
walks, teaching youngsters to ride or just being a well-loved companion. It's true to say
that most people have a soft spot for the donkey, and most donkeys have a soft spot for us
too! For more information visit www.donkeybreedsociety.co.uk
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| Binocular
Basics: Cleaning lenses |
Optical glass is relatively soft and covered with
ultra-thin coatings to increase light transmission. Many small scratches, particularly on
the eyepiece lenses are hard to see, but will produce an image that is 'misty'. Scratches
on the far-end lenses, whilst best avoided, often have surprisingly little effect on what
you see.
The steps you have to take to avoid scratches are really common sense, but surprisingly,
many binoculars are damaged by excessive cleaning carried out carelessly.
Good practice is to wipe lenses as little as possible; only clean them when marks on the
lenses are affecting what you see. If you want to keep lenses as good as new, then please
do not clean them with a handkerchief pulled out of a pocket!
The enemy of lenses is grit, so particular care should be taken if they have been exposed
to sand. The first step in cleaning is to hold the lens face down and remove any dust and
grit with a 'puffer' brush. Cans of compressed air are available to help, but the same
effect can be had more cheaply from a large-bulb 'squeezy blower'. Once you are certain
that the lens is clear of grit, breathe lightly on the lens and, using an optical cloth
kept in a sealed plastic bag and only for this purpose, wipe in a circular motion from the
centre of the lens towards the edge. Lens cleaning tissues thrown away after one use are
probably the 'council of perfection'. If there are stubborn spots such as the grease left
by a finger, apply a couple of drops of lens cleaning fluid to a cotton bud, and rotate
the soft tip over the mark.
Follow these simple procedures and you should be able to avoid lens cleaning 'doing more
harm than good'. Cley-Spy |
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On the 22nd November we held our Annual Christmas Sale at
the St Benets Hall, North Walsham. In spite of the reign and the Rugby World Cup, the
event was well attended and we raised £1,050.
Our Annual Raffle was drawn and the 1st prize won by S Whiteside of Swanton Morley.
Congratulations also to Sheringham resident Mrs Robina Churchyard, well known in
Sheringham for her fund raising activities (which include "Animal Crackers") for
winning a lunch for two people at the Beechwood Hotel, North Walsham.
At present we have 30 cats/kittens in care whose ages range from 1 day to 7 years, some of
which have already been chosen. We are delighted to report that they include Domino,
Pepsie and Katie who will be leaving us shortly.
Among those waiting for new homes are:
Cleo (white/some tortie markings and a tortie tail) - about 5 years old. Cleo tends to
hide until she gets to know you. She is not necessarily a lap cat but loves to sit beside
you and will follow you about. She needs a quiet home with someone to give her lots of
love and attention.
Pumpkin (dark ginger) - about 6 months old. A lovely little kitten with orange eyes. Very
loving and gentle.
If you are interested in giving a cat or kitten a new home please call Stephanie on 01692
535858 to find out what is available. Alternatively, you can visit
www.north-walsham.biz/cats to view the cats before calling. If you require more
information about us, would like to help in any way or need a voucher to help with
neutering costs, again, please give Stephanie a call. |
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