It’s fascinating how animals can adapt and find ways to survive in the wild, even after being domesticated. Have his owners been able to reunite with him?
Diesel, a pet donkey from California who had been missing since April 2019, was discovered alive five years later in northern California, living with a wild elk herd.
Despite their thorough search efforts, Diesel’s owners, Terrie, and Dave Drewry, lost track of him when he got scared during a hike.
This year, a hunter found Diesel living among a dozen elk in the wilderness.
The Drewry family took Diesel in from the Bureau of Land Management, and he happily resided on their ranch along with chickens, a llama, and a miniature donkey.
During a hike in April 2019, Diesel was startled by something, causing him to bolt suddenly and drag Dave Drewry through the bushes, as Terrie Drewry recalled in an interview.
The Drewrys searched the Cache Creek Wilderness near Sacramento, a challenging area covering about 30,000 acres, for weeks to find their pet donkey.
Although they believed they spotted him on a trail camera and discovered tracks that looked like his, they could never find him.
In March, Max Fennell, a professional triathlete who occasionally hunts in California, came across a herd of elk during a hunting trip.
To his amazement, he saw a donkey among them. Fennell recorded a video of the herd, which Terrie Drewry pointed out was filmed near the location where Diesel disappeared in 2019.
In the video, the herd moves as a group and stops to watch Fennell as he observes them.
The animals wait for the donkey to signal that it’s safe, and then it turns and walks away, with the elk closely following behind.
“One of my most remarkable hunting trips ever,” Fennell captioned the Instagram video. “I’m still amazed by what I saw and thrilled to see that the donkey looks happy and healthy!”
Donkeys on farms not only handle tasks such as clearing land and pulling wagons but also serve as fierce protectors of livestock.
They protect their herds by loudly braying, kicking aggressively, and charging at predators with their teeth bared.
Terrie said, “Diesel protected the herd by taking down coyotes and possibly even facing off against a mountain lion.”
Drewry believes that if the donkey Fennell encountered is Diesel, he’s simply carrying out his duty by protecting his elk companions.
“They’ve learned to coexist and become like a family to each other,” she explained.
After viewing a remarkable Instagram video posted by the hunter and confirming it was Diesel, his owner Terrie Drewry expressed relief, telling KOVR, “Finally we saw him. Finally, we know he’s doing well. He’s living happily, healthy, and it’s just a weight off our shoulders.”
Despite missing Diesel dearly, his owners have decided not to bring him back home because they believe he’s thriving and content with the elk herd, living his best life, as noted by WILX.
Last September, a new Instagram video emerged showing Diesel, the Drewrys’ pet donkey, among his elk family. The donkey appeared joyful as he trotted through tall yellow grass under dappled sunlight.
“To capture him would be nearly impossible,” Terrie remarked. “He has truly become a wild burro now. He’s out there doing what he was born to do.”
Terrie noted that Diesel is around eight years old, and donkeys can live up to 40 years.
You can see Diesel, the Drewrys’ pet donkey, embracing his new life alongside the elks in the wild by watching the video.
