[Sundowner] Donkey business

[Sundowner64]

When you travel through the Upper Allgäu in Germany, you will find beautiful places, snow-capped mountains, green meadows. lovely villages. And on quite a number of farms you will see among other animals several donkeys.
Why?

[GalFisk]

I may have heard of this, sending PM.

[doriana_]

Do all the farms that have donkeys relevantly have something else in common?
Do the donkeys do some kind of job on these farms?
Tourism relevant?

[Sundowner64]

GalFisk
I may have heard of this, sending PM. -- Read and replied. Good thought, but it's not that.

Doriana
Do all the farms that have donkeys relevantly have something else in common? Yes.
Do the donkeys do some kind of job on these farms? Not anymore.
Tourism relevant? Somewhat, but that's not the main reason.

[GalFisk]

Did the donkeys do a relevant job earlier? Are they retired? Were they raised for a specific purpose? That no longer is relevant?

[Sundowner64]

GalFisk
Did the donkeys do a relevant job earlier? Are they retired? Were they raised for a specific purpose? That no longer is relevant? Yes to all.

[doriana_]

Were the donkeys used for transportation? If so, of people? of things?
Is the job now done by machines? by other animals? Or has the job itself become obsolete?

[Sundowner64]

Doriana
Were the donkeys used for transportation? No, but keep this line of inquiry. If so, of people? of things?
Is the job now done by machines? by other animals? Or has the job itself become obsolete? This.

[GalFisk]

What about donkeys was relevant for performing this job: walking? Climbing? Carrying? Pulling? Stubbornness? Braying? Fighting? Running? Grazing? Manure? Meat? Milk? Hides? Hair? Making mules? Breeding?

[BitterLemonCurry]

Were the donkeys there for getting government subsidies? Preventing the business from being closed? Fulfilling a legal obligation? Covid pandemic relevant? Energy crisis? Climate change?

[Sundowner64]

GalFisk
What about donkeys was relevant for performing this job: walking? Climbing? Carrying? Pulling? Stubbornness? Braying? Fighting? Running? Grazing? Manure? Meat? Milk? Hides? Hair? Making mules? This. Breeding? So, this.

BitterLemonCurry
Were the donkeys there for getting government subsidies? No, but .. Preventing the business from being closed? Fulfilling a legal obligation? Covid pandemic relevant? Energy crisis? Climate change? No to the rest.

[GalFisk]

Were the mules used for transportation? Were they subsidized? Bought? By the government? Military?

[Sundowner64]

GalFisk
Were the mules used for transportation? Yes. Were they subsidized? Bought? Yes. By the government? Military? And yes.

[GalFisk]

Do we need to find out more about the donkeys? The mules they bred? The horsed they did it with? The military? The government?

[Sundowner64]

GalFisk
Do we need to find out more about the donkeys? The mules they bred? The horsed they did it with? The military? The government? No, I think that's enough for a ..

SPOILER
Part of Germany's Mountain Infantry Brigade was until 2014 based in Sonthofen, Upper Allgäu. They always kept a stock of about 50 mules for use as transport animals high up in the mountains. The mules were purchased from local farmers who had a nice side business with breeding.
A mule is an interbred of a male donkey and a female horse (mare). So, the farmers needed to always have some donkeys in stock as the mules themselves are infertile.
When the army left in 2014, the breeding was not needed any more and the farmers sold their mares. But kept the donkeys for good, as there is not really a market for them. Donkeys can reach a substantial age up to 30 years, so you can still today see some of them grazing by the road.

Well done, GalFisk!