Hee-Haw Birthday : Rare Donkey Colt Is Born

A rare French donkey who once faced a possible death sentence for failing U.S. Department of Agriculture blood tests gave birth Monday to the first member of the dwindling Poitou breed ever born in this country.

The new arrival was delivered with minor complications just after midnight in a corral at the Olivenhain ranch of owners Sharon and Jack Vanderlip. Both the mother, Sonette, and the newborn Poitou, a male named Lafayette in honor of Independence Day, were “doing great,” Sharon Vanderlip said.

“He’s up on his feet, but he looks like something out of a Bambi movie--all wobbly legs,” Vanderlip said. “He’s got long, shaggy, black hair, and the cartilage in his big ears is so soft that they flop forward like Bugs Bunny’s.”

A Major Boost

The 60-pound Lafayette popped out after 15 minutes of labor and stands about 30 inches tall at the shoulders, Vanderlip said. The foal arrived after a 12-month, 3-week gestation--a bit longer than usual for donkeys, she said.

Monday’s birth provides a major boost to the Vanderlips’ efforts to reestablish the Poitou breed, which numbers only 40 worldwide. Although breeding continues in the animal’s native Poitiers region of southwestern France, most of those propagation attempts

have failed. Vanderlip said all seven foals born overseas this year have died.

“The owner said the problem was pneumonia or some other infection, but it’s really a question of care,” Vanderlip said. “The husbandry, the nutrition and the housing conditions in France just aren’t what they should be. I suspect the cause of those seven deaths was preventable.”

Given the fragile status of the species, the Vanderlips--both of whom are staff veterinarians at UC San Diego School of Medicine--characterized the delivery of Lafayette as history in the making.

“This really is a critical moment in time for this breed, so it was a very exciting experience. We got the whole thing on video,” Vanderlip said. “So far, he looks healthy. But we’ve got our fingers crossed.”

With the arrival of Lafayette, the couple’s herd now numbers five--Sonette; Lafayette’s father, Tartarin; a third male named Tabarin, and a second female, Tosca. All but Lafayette were imported from France.

Made Headlines

Although delighted with the fuzzy newcomer, the Vanderlips had hoped for a female in order to enhance the breeding capacity of their donkeys. The couple said they may sell Lafayette--named for the Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat who befriended George Washington and fought for American independence--and use the money to purchase a female Poitou.

Sonette, now 4, first made headlines in late 1984 when Agriculture officials ordered her destroyed or deported for failing tests designed to detect equine diseases.

News of the donkey’s plight sparked an outcry that persuaded federal officials to update their testing methods. The testing procedures had been in use since 1910 and were criticized by the Vanderlips and others as unfair to donkeys, mules, zebras and other exotic equines, which have an unusual substance in their blood.

After a monthlong stay in quarantine, Sonette passed the test and was released to her owners. In the meantime, publicity had made the sweet-tempered donkey something of a celebrity. Letters and invitations to events flooded in. The French printed a commemorative Sonette post card. Johnny Carson inquired about a guest appearance. And, since early 1985, Sonette has been featured in special exhibits at the San Diego Zoo.

The largest of all donkey breeds at about 1,000 pounds, the Poitou is perhaps most famous for its distinctive hair, which is long, silky and forms dreadlocks that droop to the ground when ungroomed. The Poitou also has the loudest bray and the largest ears among its donkey brethren.

The Poitou’s precise origins remain a mystery. It is believed to have been introduced to France by the Romans 2,000 years ago. Poitous were frequently used in crossbreeding to produce a special draft mule that was world-famous for its strength and usefulness in pulling equipment during warfare. Most Poitous living today are in zoos throughout France.

Sharon Vanderlip first became intrigued with the Poitou while a veterinary student in France in 1975. Since then, she and her husband have pursued a dream of saving the breed from extinction.

The couple will soon publish a book on the history of the Poitou and hope that scientific methods like artificial insemination and embryo transfer will reverse the decline of the species.