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"As well as being an animal that has its origins in Catalunya, it has similarities with the manner in which Catalans do things – in moderation and without being strident" Yet over the past three years the humble donkey has risen from virtual obscurity to become the unofficial emblem of Catalunya. Now it seems that wherever you look in the region you see the distinctive outline of the animal. Almost every second car bumper proudly bears a donkey sticker and you can buy products ranging from coffee mugs, lighters and key rings to soft drinks adorned with the animal’s now-familiar image. And not just any old donkey – known in Catalan as a burro, ruc or ase – but a tall, white-muzzled breed indigenous to this north-eastern corner of Spain. The animal’s rapid trajectory to this starring role is all the more surprising when you consider that 25 years ago the burro Català was on the verge of extinction after its numbers had plummeted to just 10. It was a far cry from the end of the 19th century, when there were more than 50,000 of them in existence across Catalunya. Although its earliest roots can be traced to Somalia, the first evidence of the burro Català dates back to 1000BC. Initially it was used to carry minerals and produce from the Pyrenees, then later to help cultivate land and clear forests. But as tractors and farm machinery began to take over many of these tasks, and as the traditional ways of rural life changed throughout the 20th century, the burro became obsolete and its numbers dwindled towards extinction. Today, the burro Català population stands at 400 and, although it is still not out the danger zone, the phenomenal popularity of the animal and its emergence as a national symbol means the breed’s perilous state is receiving widespread attention that should ensure its survival. The origins of the burro’s re-emergence into the limelight began as a joke between two friends from the lakeside town of Banyoles, an hour north of Barcelona. Jaume Sala and Àlex Ferreiro dreamt up the idea for the burro car sticker in 2003 as a light-hearted alternative to the Toro d’Osborne, the famous black bull symbol used to promote brandy on giant billboards around Spain. Well aware that the first definition given by most dictionaries for burro, ruc, or ase is “stupid” or “pig-headed”, they had 50 donkey-shaped stickers printed off to hand out among their student friends. But there was a semi-serious message in their choice of the strangely loveable creatures as a symbol. Sala says they were looking for an image to counter what they saw as the “excessive centralism” expressed in the bull and other facets of life, such as the law requiring cars to have the “E” of Spain on number plates. “The burro seemed like a good way to fight against the Spanish bull in a subtle way, because if you don’t feel Catalan, you are not going to have the burro sticker,” he says. “As well as being an animal that has its origins in Catalunya, it has similarities with the manner in which Catalans do things – in moderation and without being strident.” The immediate popularity of the stickers led them to print another 3,500, but the symbol seemed to have struck a chord with people. Now, three years on, more than 300,000 of the stickers have been sold and demand shows no sign of dropping off. The key seems to be the affinity many Catalans have with the dewy-eyed donkey, though not surprisingly it is the burro’s positive qualities they identify with. They see the burro as persistent, hard working, quietly intelligent and able to endure tough conditions and survive great hardship – traits many Catalans associate with their national identity. This is not an opinion held by everyone, however, and there are those who feel that Sala and Ferreiro could have chosen their symbol more wisely. Among them is Pedro Hernansáez, a vet in Girona province, who doesn’t think Catalunya should be represented by a donkey. “I understand that they wanted to find something to counter the Spanish bull, but the burro is a cheap symbol. It stands for someone who is silly or foolish,” he says. Sala, though, has no doubts that thrusting the burro into the limelight has helped alert the public to the fact that its numbers have dwindled to dangerously low levels. “There has been so much TV and media coverage that people have been made aware of it. I think our campaign has helped a lot.” But before its re-emergence into public consciousness, it was the efforts of a stalwart group of enthusiasts that ensured there was anything left to save. Over the past quarter of a century the Associació per al Foment de la Raça Asinina Catalana, or AFRAC as it is known, and the association of Rucs del Corredor, have worked hard to ensure the burro’s survival. Key to this was the establishing of breeding and assimilation programmes, the benefits of which are slowly becoming apparent.  AFRAC was set up in 1978 by two vets, Pere Comas and Esteve Bosch, because they feared the burro Català might be lost completely. “We started out by buying four burros and breeding them,” explains Comas. They went on to establish a centre for reproduction at the Bosch family’s finca, Can Serrallonga, in the hills above Porqueres, where the network of members can bring their animals to breed. People can also go to the centre to learn how to ride and take courses demonstrating old methods of ploughing and working on the land, once the main use of the burro before tractors and 4X4s made them obsolete. Encouragingly, as a sign of the donkey’s improving status there were 85 animals entered for competition at this year’s Fira de Sant Martirià in Banyoles – the oldest horse and burro show in Catalunya. A conference, La recuperació del burro Català, was also held at the end of November, which as well as discussing cultural aspects of the burro covered subjects as diverse as artificial insemination and the breeding of hybrids. But while they will never attain the numbers of old, Bosch is quietly confident the burro Català will survive: “Twenty-five years ago there were just 10 burros left. Now there are around 400. I hope that it will continue to grow in number in the years to come.” |
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