Donkeys Instead of Excavators: What Esporles’ Torrent Operation Really Means

A simple question: Can donkeys replace flood protection — or only complement it?

From late May to mid-August, Lola, Tomeu, Pep, Martina and Santi did not move excavators, but piles of leaves, branches and stones out of the torrent channels around Esporles. Some 3.2 kilometres of mountain torrent were made passable again — with hooves, patience and the faint smell of oats in the morning. People stopped in the square, children clapped, an old man sighed: “That’s how it used to be done.” (For wider context see When the Torrents Are Cleared: Cleaning Up Against Heavy Rain — Is That Enough?.)

Why the donkeys were used

The answer is, at first, pragmatic: in steep, narrow terrain machines cannot reach. Donkeys, on the other hand, can — they are agile, cause little soil compaction and work quietly. For the municipality this means: fewer blockages during heavy rain, less risk to houses in the valley and lower diesel consumption. Two municipal workers, one animal keeper and a few volunteers accompanied the group; the animals had fixed rest periods and regular veterinary checks at Finca Son Marta. (A recent Nighttime Misadventure in the Torrent de Mortitx: What the Mountain Rescuers' Operation Reveals highlights the risks confined torrents can pose.)

The other side: voices and concerns

The picture sounds idyllic — and it is, in part. But the central question remains: are donkeys sufficient for a lasting, reliable disaster prevention strategy? A few points that are often overlooked in the public rejoicing:

Scalability: Five animals clear 3.2 km in three months. What if several torrents need to be maintained in parallel? Mass rather than finesse is decisive in heavy rain.

Weather and season dependence: Donkeys do not work in storms or during heavy winter rain. Their performance is seasonal and slow — good for careful maintenance, but poor when large amounts of debris must be removed quickly.

Animal welfare and operating costs: Stables, feed, hoof care, veterinary checks and experienced handlers cost money. In the short term they may seem cheaper than machines with drivers, but in the long run the budget must add up.

Lesser-known opportunities

Alongside the limits there are untapped potentials: donkeys as part of a mixed management approach could be very useful. They protect soils, foster local acceptance and offer educational value — schools can learn how watercourses work, residents become attentive to their torrents again. Ecological compatibility is also a plus: less noise, less soil compaction from heavy equipment.

Concrete proposals for Esporles (and other municipalities)

From my conversations and observations a few practical steps emerge:

1. Pilot with evaluation criteria: Clear metrics (meters of cleared channel per workday, cost per meter, animal health, time until critical condition) help to test whether the method can be scaled.

2. Hybrid model: Mechanical cleaning where large amounts of debris accumulate; donkeys in the sensitive, hard-to-reach upper reaches.

3. Training and certification: Train local teams, define standards for animal welfare and work safety. That way the project remains serious and well-founded.

4. Community budget and volunteers: A mix of municipal funding and volunteers has proven successful in Esporles — formalize rather than romanticize.

Looking ahead

At the end of this summer there is a simple tally: less debris in the channels, more relaxed faces in the square and five exhausted but healthy donkeys who now have rest. That is a success for now. The bigger question, however, is political and planning-oriented: do you continue to rely on this vehicle of tradition, integrate it into modern risk management or leave it as a charming, one-off experiment?

The idea that donkeys can assist in disaster prevention is refreshing. Even more refreshing would be a plan that brings together tradition, science and clear numbers — then the hooves can work where they are most useful, and the excavators where they are really needed.

Info: Period: late May to mid-August. Animals: five. Cleared length: around 3.2 km. Veterinary checks and rest breaks were part of the operation plan.