Escaped Pet Donkey Thriving with Elk Five Years Later

TL/DR –

A pet donkey named Diesel, who escaped from its owners in California five years ago, has been found living with a herd of wild elk. The animal’s owners, Terrie and Dave Drewry, identified it from a video posted online by a hiker and have decided to let him continue his life as a “wild burro”. Diesel first went missing during a hiking trip in 2019 and, despite extensive search efforts, hadn’t been seen until the recent social media post.

A California Pet Donkey Found Living With Wild Elk After Five-Year Disappearance

A pet donkey named Diesel, who disappeared in California five years ago, was recently spotted thriving among a herd of wild elk. Owners Terrie and Dave Drewry from Auburn confirmed that the donkey filmed by a hiker is indeed their lost pet.

After Diesel’s disappearance during a hiking trip near Clear Lake, California in 2019, extensive volunteer searches yielded no results. A trail camera captured the last image of Diesel a few months after his disappearance. The Drewrys eventually gave up hope of finding Diesel, saying there were “no signs of him.”

However, hiker Max Fennell spotted Diesel in a herd this month and posted a video of the “happy and healthy” donkey on social media. The Drewrys were relieved and overjoyed to see Diesel thriving in the wild.

Interestingly, Diesel was found a few miles from where he initially disappeared, living among elks in an area devoid of wild donkeys. Mrs. Drewry stated, “Two completely different creatures, but they learn to get along and be each other’s family.”

Since Diesel’s disappearance, the Drewrys have adopted new donkeys and have no plans to recapture Diesel. According Mrs. Drewry, “He is truly a wild burro now. He’s out there doing what he’s raised to do.” Diesel is now about eight years old and donkeys can live up to 40 years.

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