Newborn Donkey Shows He Wants Hugs With Cutest Method

Mar 30, 2021 by apost team

Animals are one of the most beautiful things in life. No matter what your preference is — be it dogs, cats, horses, elephants or anything else in the animal kingdom — it's fair to say that our fellow animals make life interesting for us humans. Sometimes they support us in work, while other times they provide companionship. Even if some animals are not the domestic kind, they can still wind up being our pets and friends. 

Baby animals are some of the cutest things to exist, but a baby animal that's also a miniature of its kind is something truly special. Smaller than their regular-sized counterparts, miniature animals vary in breed. There are miniature horses and piglets, which are commonly known, but there are also donkeys and sheep, too. There are even animals that aren't usually kept as pets, such as otters and lemurs.

In a 2016 video from Pixie Farms Miniature Donkeys & Boer Goats, the world was lucky enough to witness an adorable miniature donkey. The Crowley, Texas, farm has a number of animals on its property, and a video that they posted to Facebook shows a mini donkey named Gunner only eight hours after he was born. 

If you think that sounds cute, wait until you see the video, which features Gunner being petted and hugged by one of the workers from the farm. He might be a newborn, but Gunner knows how to get the worker to keep giving him more pats — by nudging his head toward him! The footage is too adorable for words.

Based in Crowley, Texas, Pixie Farms Miniature Donkeys & Boer Goats is a farm that has a range of animals at its location. Currently, they have miniature donkeys, Boer goats, miniature Hereford cattle, Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dogs, chickens, guinea fowls and turkeys. That's quite a mix of animals! On their Facebook page they state,

"Our family has always loved animals so we decided to use our land for our passion."

That's a wonderful thing to do, and it seems they're really using their location for good. They also offer fresh farm eggs on-site to their customers. As expected, there's probably never a boring moment on the farm given that it is home to many different breeds of animals. Pixie Farms also states on their Facebook that,

"Life is never dull (or quiet) around our farm and we love it that way!"

In 2016, the farm shared a video on their page that was too cute for words. In the video, a very tiny miniature donkey named Gunner is being petted and given hugs by someone who works at the farm. It's an adorable sight from the get-go, as not only is Gunner a baby donkey but a miniature donkey to boot! He's even fresh to the world, having been born just eight hours earlier. You can't get a baby animal much cuter than that! 

Gunner is a total sweetheart, and he seems to really enjoy cuddles. As the worker pets him, Gunner nestles up to his chest, nudging him with his head, as if to say "More cuddles please!"

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The video is an incredibly pure interaction that shows that not only can humans and animals get along, but they can also be close friends. They don't need to speak the same language since they already share the language of friendship and cuddles. It's quite remarkable to think that Gunner is not even one day old and yet he knows how to be affectionate with another animal of a different species.

Just as Gunner is getting used to all of the hugs and affection he's getting, it appears that the handler stops petting him — to Gunner's dismay. But the foal isn't having it — he begins to literally kick up a baby-sized fuss and nudge the handler even harder than before. Gunner has tasted what affectionate hugs and pats feel like, and he wants more. To his delight, the handler continues on petting him after his toddler-like tantrum, though he's laughing as he does so, well aware that Gunner is acting like the total baby that he is! I guess baby donkeys aren't that different from baby humans after all.

Gunner is simply too cute, with his lanky legs and super soft grey fur. He truly looks like an adorable, life-size soft toy. And just like humans love to cuddle their childhood stuffed animals, we also love to see real-life adorable creatures being cuddled when we're adults too. Animals bring so much joy into our lives, which makes it wonderful to see these kinds of interactions, whether in real life or via viral video.

The Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute states that miniature donkeys were first brought to the United States in 1929 by Robert Green. They've native to the islands of Sicily and Sardinia in the Mediterranean Sea, which is why they're also known as miniature Mediterranean donkeys. However, despite their name in the U.S., they're not considered to be miniature in their native region.

"Unlike many other miniature breeds (such as toy poodles), the miniature donkey is not a bred-down version of a larger donkey," Smithsonian explains on their website. "Their small size is natural."

Green brought six jennets, or female donkeys, and one jack, or male donkey. However, only three jennets and the one jack survived the journey. These first donkeys bred together to establish the first U.S. miniature donkey population — and the rest, as they say, is history. Today the population in the U.S. is thought to be between 10,000 and 20,000. That's a big family tree!

Green was very fond of the breed, explaining their appeal as such:

"Miniature donkeys possess the affectionate nature of a Newfoundland, the resignation of a cow, the durability of a mule, the courage of a tiger and an intellectual capability only slightly inferior to man's."

That is one very well-rounded animal, and on top of that, they're absolutely adorable, too. An adult miniature donkey stands at 36 inches or less — that is a very compact donkey! When we consider their size and cuteness, it's no surprise that in the U.S. miniature donkeys are fairly common as pets. Sadly, however, the donkeys are said to be near extinction in their native region. Let's hope that their numbers can bounce back.

What did you think of this adorable video of Gunner? If it brought a smile to your face and you learned something from this article, be sure to pass it on to your friends and family members!