A long-lost donkey that was once adopted by a California couple has resurfaced in the Golden State after going missing five years ago.
Max Fennell, a hunter in Northern California, spotted the donkey among a herd of wild elk while out in the mountains and captured the amazing sight on video. “I bumped into a herd of elk that have adopted a donkey. I can’t get over seeing it and I’m amazed that the donkey looks happy and healthy!” he posted on Instagram in the caption to the video.
The donkey appears quite content and comfortable surrounded by the elk. All the animals look at the camera as if to say, “What? You’ve never seen a donkey and elk herd before?”
“Diesel” was adopted by Dave and Terrie Drewry from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) but according to a story from CBS Sacramento, the animal got spooked while hiking with Dave and took off in the woods.
The couple searched for Diesel for weeks on foot, by vehicle and even drone, but the donkey had disappeared. Now all these years later, after seeing the video and the proximity to where the donkey went missing, the Drewrys are convinced the animal in the video is their beloved Diesel.
“He’s living his best life,” Terrie told the news outlet. “He’s happy. He’s healthy, and it was just a relief.”
This isn’t the first Diesel the donkey sighting. Another video posted in September 2023 by Mikki Rhodes showed him trotting along with the herd, happy as, well, a wild donkey.
Given Diesel was born and lived wild prior to his capture in one of the BLM’s controversial roundups, he has a decent chance of surviving with his herd.