Five years ago in California, a pet donkey that escaped its owner was found “living its best life” with a herd of wild elk.
Terry and Dave Drury of Auburn are convinced the animal photographed by a hiker in early June was their pet Diesel.
The couple said they were relieved the animal was safe and decided to let it roam free with its new family as a “wild donkey.”
In 2019, Diesel was hiking with Mr. Drury near Clear Lake, California, when he got startled and took off.
Weeks of searches by volunteers yielded no results, and trail camera footage months later was the last time he was seen.
“We finally kind of gave up,” Mrs Drury told BBC news partner CBS. “There’s just no sign of him.”
The donkey was spotted by hiker Max Fennell earlier this month, who described the animal as “happy and healthy” and posted his video on social media.
“It’s amazing. Oh my gosh. Finally, we see him. Finally, we know he’s fine. He’s living his best life. He’s happy. He’s healthy, and it’s just a relief,” Mrs. Drury explain.
The elk herd was several miles from where Diesel first disappeared, and there were no wild donkeys in the area.
“Two completely different creatures, but they learned to get along and became each other’s family,” Mrs. Drury said.
After Diesel disappeared, the Drurys adopted a new donkey and had no plans to try to capture their missing pet.
“It was almost impossible to catch him,” Mrs. Drury said. “He’s really a wild ass right now. He’s out there doing what he’s been doing since he was a kid.”
She said Diesel was about eight years old and that donkeys can live up to 40 years.
