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Download our donkey story and have fun with the activity!​​
The Precious Gift
Thabo was 3 years old when his father's donkey had a baby foal. Thabo's father said he could give the foal a name and look after it himself. He told Thabo that in the olden days, kings and noblemen rode donkeys. "Humans are very lucky that donkeys are able to work for us. They need to be well looked after, in return for all their work," he said.
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Thabo called the little donkey Chipo, meaning 'gift'. ​
Suitable for Foundation Phase and Second Language Intermediate Phase learners.
* Available in six languages​
DID YOU know donkeys are born with 'slippers'?
Donkey foals are born with soft, rubbery hoof coverings called 'slippers'.
These 'slippers' prevent the foal’s hooves from harming the mother’s delicate tissues during birth.
The 'slippers' also provide a 'cushion' as the foal learns to stand and walk almost immediately after birth.
Donkey nannies are donkeys that help look after newborn lambs. They're mostly found in Italy where they help shepherds to transport new-born lambs from high pastures down to the plains, when the lambs are too young to make the journey on their own. The donkeys have to wear special coats with cosy pockets into which the lambs can fit. During rest stops, the lambs are taken out of the pockets so that they can suckle from their moms before being returned to the pockets to continue the journey down the mountain.
