The 18-animal “Firefighting Donkey Battalion” patrols Doñana National Park for up to seven hours a day between March and November, creating natural firebreaks. The low-impact initiative has helped the park remain free of wildfires for nine years and is now being replicated in other Spanish regions.

The project is run by the El Burrito Feliz association, which rescues abandoned donkeys and puts them to work clearing vegetation. Experts say donkeys are more effective than goats because they consume larger amounts of coarse vegetation while trampling dense undergrowth. Similar “donkey brigades” now operate in Catalonia, Galicia and the Basque Country as Spain seeks natural ways to reduce wildfire risk.