Donkeys as herd protectors: Government in the canton of Jura halts controversial experiment

The government has put on ice the request for an exemption from the ban on using individual donkeys to protect sheep and goat herds. A single donkey would defend other animals in the herd, but this is prohibited by law. And with two donkeys, it does not work.

Editorial team Wild beim Wild — 3 June 2025

A single donkey to protect a sheep herd: the experiment is being abandoned because it yields no conclusive result, Bern announces.

Five exemption permits are being revoked.

There is no evidence that donkeys are useful for protecting herds against wolves. And it is not permitted to keep only one donkey per herd, as animal welfare legislation requires at least two. The problem: precisely when a donkey, as a social animal, is alone, it bonds with other species such as sheep or goats. And only in this way can it presumably protect them from wolf attacks. The government is therefore putting on ice the postulate Stettler, adopted by parliament in May 2024, while simultaneously halting herd protection trials involving donkeys.

Animal not necessarily suitable

Since fences are costly and often insufficient for protecting herds, UDC parliamentarian Francine Stettler had asked the canton to examine the possibility of granting exemption permits for keeping a single protection donkey. Numerous studies had shown that this animal, when alone, can protect herds, she argued.

The Service for Consumer Affairs and Veterinary Services (SCAV) therefore obtained a legal opinion from its federal counterpart, which the federal authorities answered in the negative. The keeping of a single donkey cannot be approved; two are always required. The cantons have no right to deviate from this rule. The federal authorities further specify that donkeys, as animals adapted to desert regions, require more protection from the elements than sheep and goats. They must be protected from damp areas and supplied with sufficient water. The donkey is not necessarily the most suitable animal for the mid-altitude pastures of the Jura.

The exceptional permits are revoked

The federal authorities doubt the ability of donkeys to protect herds from wolf attacks. According to Bern, there is no evidence of their effectiveness. The Agricultural Court of the Canton of Jura (SCAV) had previously issued five exceptional permits for the keeping of donkeys. These exceptional permits must now be revoked, as they are not compatible with higher-level legislation.

Official expert Lucas Bassin from the SCAV points out that the organisation Agridea tested the use of donkeys for herd protection between 2012 and 2015 and issued guidelines. In this context, the Jura region granted several exceptional permits for this protective measure involving a single donkey. However, the results were inconclusive, and perceptions have also changed since then. The SCAV will formally request in writing that breeders rescind these exceptional permits. The government is shelving this concept while simultaneously putting an end to breeders’ experiments in protecting their herds with a single donkey.

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