Corsican donkey

Donkeys long carried people, crops and equipment along Corsican paths. Motorised transport reduced their economic role and numbers. The October 2024 programme describes that decline and the establishment of the studbook in 2020. The current project identifies animals matching the local type and builds a documented breeding population.

U Sumeru Corsu describes the desired traits of the Corsican donkey in its breeding programme. This document guides the choice of breeding animals. From four years, the standard provides 1.15–1.28 m for females and 1.15–1.29 m for males, with a 2 cm tolerance. Separate ranges apply at three years. The head is light with a straight or slightly concave profile, the ears point forward, the back is compact and the croup rounded and muscular. Limbs and feet should support a regular walk.

The Corsican donkey breeding programme describes dove-grey, chocolate and dark black or bay coats with lighter areas. A dorsal cross is sought and leg barring is valued. Other appearances, including pinto, white, cream and chestnut, fall outside the stated criteria. An acceptable colour contributes to assessment but does not establish ancestry on its own.

Accompanied walks, pack work and some agricultural or animal-assisted activities can provide outlets for conserved animals. A pack saddle should distribute weight without restricting movement. Gradual preparation for equipment, people and different terrain is needed even when the activity resembles the island donkeys' historical work.

The U Sumeru Corsu association runs the programme. With a recent studbook, inspection of foundation animals and recording of parentage are particularly important. Rules distinguish initial admission, registration of descendants and breeding approval. An animal's presence on Corsica, or an old photograph, does not by itself prove registration in this studbook.

The 2025 Écus yearbook records ten jennies covered in 2024 for anticipated Corsican donkey production, in provisional data dated 21 October 2025. This small administrative total is not the number of all donkeys on the island. The wider local population includes animals whose ancestry or registry status differs from that of the studbook's tracked breeding stock.

The Corsican donkey breeding programme requires a DNA profile for jacks presented for breeding approval from three years of age. The laboratory analyses selected DNA markers, which can later be compared with a foal’s markers to check the declared parentage. Combining these checks with birth records allows the studbook to trace families across generations. This test checks family relationships; it does not look for disease-causing variants.