Donkey firefighters in Spain have kept Doñana National Park free of wildfires for nine straight years by grazing dry scrub daily across areas that vehicles cannot reach.
Donkey firefighters in Spain have protected one of Europe’s most important national parks from wildfire for nearly a decade, using nothing more than a steady appetite and a daily grazing routine.
Doñana National Park, located in southern Spain, sits at the heart of one of Europe’s most vital wetland ecosystems. It shelters Iberian lynxes, endangered birds, and hundreds of migratory species. Despite a sharp increase in wildfires across Spain in recent years, Doñana has not recorded a single wildfire in nine years. That streak did not happen by accident.
Since 2014, 18 donkeys from the association El Burrito Feliz, which translates to “The Happy Little Donkey,” have been patrolling the outskirts of Doñana National Park. The animals were rescued from abandonment and given a new purpose: to eat the dry scrub that fuels wildfires before it can burn. The animals work for up to seven hours a day between March and November, grazing strips of around 40 by 15 meters. Named Mortadelo, Magallanes, Leonor, and Ainoa, among others, the donkey firefighters in Spain work quietly and consistently across terrain inaccessible to vehicles.
The need for this kind of prevention is urgent. By August 2025, nearly one million hectares had burned across different regions of Spain, the worst toll in three decades. That is roughly the size of the entire island of Sicily. The scale of the destruction pushed the government to declare disaster zones across six regions, including Galicia, Extremadura, and Andalusia.
Donkeys are especially well-suited to this work. Unlike cows or sheep, they do not have a complex stomach, so they can chew the same food repeatedly. They eat slowly but often, turning even the driest, roughest grass into energy. Each mouthful removes potential fuel, and over time, that daily effort adds up to natural firebreaks across thousands of hectares.
Donkey firefighters in Spain represent a low-cost, sustainable approach to wildfire prevention, with rescued animals returning to the hillsides they once cleared before agricultural mechanization pushed them out decades ago. Photo by Stock Birken on Unsplash.
Rosa María Canals, a professor of grassland ecology and restoration at the Public University of Navarre, notes that donkey grazing reduces ground vegetation and helps contain fires in increasingly dense, dry landscapes. The science supports what the donkey firefighters in Spain have already proven on the ground.
For decades, the mechanization of agriculture led to the gradual disappearance of donkeys and other grazing animals. Their absence, combined with rural depopulation and the end of traditional grazing, contributed to the build-up of natural fuel in the hills. When the animals left, the scrub grew back. The fires followed.
The model is now spreading to other regions. In Tivissa, Catalonia, the “Burros Bomberos” project launched in 2020 with three animals and now has around 40, clearing close to 400 hectares with no fires reported since. In Allariz, Ourense, the donkeys of Asociación Andrea maintain about 1,000 hectares within a UNESCO biosphere reserve, roaming freely and tracked by GPS, walking up to 19 kilometers a day on low shrubs that drive wildfire spread.
The donkey firefighters in Spain do not work alone. Volunteers from Mujeres por Doñana carry water through forested areas that vehicles cannot access and guide the animals away from traffic. Spain’s Military Emergency Unit, known as the UME, has also backed the program. During a visit to the park, UME soldiers adopted one of the donkeys and presented it with a small helmet, just like a real forest firefighter’s.
Those driving these projects are careful not to overstate what donkeys can do on their own. Forest planning, land management, early detection, and reducing the occurrence of highly flammable species such as pine and eucalyptus remain crucial. The approach works best as part of a broader strategy, not a standalone fix.
Donkeys cleared Spain’s hillsides for thousands of years before agricultural mechanization pushed them out. Bringing them back is not a workaround. It is a restoration. As wildfires grow more intense and frequent, the experience of donkey firefighters in Spain shows that the land already holds part of the answer, and it has four legs and a very good appetite.
