This is Lambada, one of the incredibly rare Baudet de Poitou donkeys of Poitou-Charente, France. With 600 to 1,000 in existence, the Poitou are among the world's most endangered animals.
"These donkeys are more rare than the white rhino," said Maryon Attwood, chairwoman of the Northwest Poitou Donkey Institute in Washington state, an organization working to ensure that the animals don't go extinct.
In addition to dreadlock 'dos that would make a Rastafarian proud, the Poitou are among the world's largest donkeys. While they were initially brought to France during the Roman invasion, in more recent centuries the Poitou were bred with Mulassier horses (which are also now endangered) to produce sturdy, gentle mules used as work animals.
"They were the best mules you could buy," Attwood said.
But the dreadlocked donkeys were rapidly replaced by machines in the early 20th century. And when much of France went hungry during World War II, many farmers began to eat their Poitou.
They almost ate the donkeys right out of existence.
By the 1950s, there were just 77 left, according to Attwood -- and that's when the French government stepped in and began a breeding program that has helped the species to recover. The government buys the best jacks (male donkeys) and allows farmers to bring their jennies (females) over for the kind of ass play needed to ensure the survival of the Poitou.
"For me, it's about diversity of species," Atwood said. "Tomorrow, there could be a virus or a plague that comes through and eliminates the primary species of donkeys, and we want to have as many varieties as we can so that these wonderful creatures aren't eliminated from the earth."
