AnimalZone: No Horsing Around: Welcome to Donkeyland - Season 16, Episode 06

AnimalZone kicks up its hooves and heads to the high desert of San Bernardino County for a visit to Donkeyland, an extraordinary sanctuary where more than 1,000 wild donkeys have found a place to roam safely, away from the dangers that come with encroaching civilization.


Founder Amber LeVonne and her dedicated team protect and monitor thousands of acres of fenced habitat, while working to preserve something equally important: the donkeys’ remarkable family bonds.


Donkeyland’s Candace Manwill explains how these close-knit families—sometimes numbering dozens of animals—are kept together and why the familiar notion of the “stubborn donkey” couldn’t be further from the truth. These animals, we discover, aren’t stubborn at all. They’re contemplative, highly social and remarkably intelligent.


We also visit the innovative Eli & Watson Bachelor Club, hundreds of acres where intact males can live together, providing a humane approach to population control without routine castration. The project was made possible through the generosity of Wendy McCaw and the Wendy P. McCaw Foundation, whose support has also helped fund vital projects including water wells.


Donkeyland has inspired some notable champions over the years, including legendary game-show host and animal advocate Bob Barker, who famously declared, “I never met a donkey I didn’t like.”


By the end of our visit, it’s easy to understand why. They’re affectionate, thoughtful, fiercely devoted to their families—and, according to Donkeyland’s Chad, among the smartest animals around, in some very impressive company with dolphins and elephants.


It’s an uplifting journey into a world where being called a jackass might just be a compliment!

Uploaded on Sep 6, 2026 at 10:38 am