Donkey joins the Moose Club

A long-lost donkey 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, discovered the donkey in a herd of wild elk while he was hiking in the mountains and captured the amazing sight on video“I came across a herd of moose that had adopted a donkey. I just can’t believe the sight and am amazed that the donkey looks happy and healthy!” he posted on Instagram in the caption of the video.

The donkey seems quite content and feels comfortable among the moose. All the animals look into the camera as if to say: “What? You’ve never seen a herd of donkeys and moose before?”

“Diesel” was adopted by Dave and Terrie Drewry from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), but according to a report by CBS Sacramento, the animal became frightened while hiking with Dave and ran into the woods.

The couple searched for Diesel for weeks on foot, by car, and even with a drone, but the donkey was gone. Now, all these years later, after watching the video and being near the spot where the donkey disappeared, the Drewrys are convinced the animal in the video is their beloved Diesel.

“He’s living his best life,” Terrie told the news agency. “He’s happy. He’s healthy and it was just a relief.”

This is not the first sighting of Diesel the donkey. Another video posted in September 2023 by Mikki Rhodes showed him trotting along with the herd, happy as, well, a wild donkey.

Because Diesel was born and lived in the wild before being captured in one of the BLM’s controversial roundups, he has a good chance of surviving with his herd.