The '''donkey''' (also referred to as an ass, Equus asinus) is a domesticated animal in the horse family. A [[mule]] is the offspring of a male donkey (called a "jack") and a female horse (called a "mare.")
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A donkey is an [[ungulate]] used for draying, or work purposes. The donkey is also the [[Democratic Party]] symbol, due to a political cartoon by [[Thomas Nast]].
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Donkeys play an important role in the [[Gospel]]s, acting as a symbol of [[Jesus]]' humility: He made His triumphal entrance into [[Jerusalem]] on the first [[Palm Sunday]] riding on a donkey rather than a [[horse]] to show that He was not coming as a ruler, as some thought that the [[Messiah]] would do. Donkeys also feature in the [[Old Testament]]: in the book of [[Numbers]], Balaam has a talking donkey - the only talking animal in the [[Bible]] apart from the [[serpent]] in the [[Garden of Eden]].