We have a few farm animals. I love them all. They just hang out here, living their little lives. Four goats, one goose, and four chickens.
I’ve read a lot of good things about donkeys, though. Mind you, I don’t want one, so please don’t bring your extra donkeys over to my house.
Often lumped into the same group are mules. For some reason, I’ve been thinking about mules today. Something about “hee-haw” rhyming with “see-saw.”
Most of us know the mule as the poster child for stubbornness. A mule is a hybrid born from a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare).
This getting-jiggy-with-it combination creates an animal that’s stronger. Yes indeed. It is tougher and more resilient than either of its parents.
Humans and animals. We have relied on mules for thousands of years. We’ve asked them to help us in many ways. Farming, hauling, transportation, and even battlefields. It’s all because they’re built for hard work and harsh conditions.
Here’s something I just learned. Mules are sterile. Since donkeys have 62 chromosomes and horses have 64, mules end up with 63. That uneven number makes reproduction nearly impossible.
Every mule you’ve ever seen, from ancient times to today, came from an intentional pairing between a horse and a donkey. Not from mules mating with mules. As such, each one of them is a carefully created worker.
They’re typically stronger than donkeys and more durable than horses. They also have an uncanny sure-footedness that makes them ideal for rocky trails or uneven terrain. Like heading down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
Their intelligence is often misread as stubbornness. Instead, it actually makes them cautious, thoughtful animals, unlikely to put themselves or their handlers in danger.
They live a long time too. About 30 to 40 years, and occasionally even longer.
So there they are. The mules. There are about 7 to 10 million mules in the world. And to that, I say, “Hee-haw.”
“””””””””””
“A mule will never do anything he thinks is foolish.”— Old farming proverb
“””””””””””
“Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions.”— Alfred A. Montapert
“””””””””””
“An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.”— Martin Buber
“””””””””””
