donkeys in Greece

Dear Ruthie, this is a special post for you because - very obviously as the picture is showing it - your postcard from Greece has arrived in HK. Happy to hear that all is good at your end with new boyfriend, donkeys and honorable BBQs. A pity that my 'every day a little smarter' blog is only in German, but here is now one post for you to read: about donkeys in Greece.

Foto: donkey greeting from Greece arrived in Hong Kong

In the last 50 years, the population of donkeys in Greece has plummeted 96%, falling from nearly half a million in the 1950s to around 16,000 in 2007 (latest official figure I could find). If this reduction continues, within just 10 to 15 years the donkey population will fall below 1,000 animals. Used for centuries to transport people and goods and to plow fields, the donkey has fallen victim to modernization. Almost everywhere in Greece, cars, trucks, tractors and motorcycles have taken over.

Everywhere, that is, except for Hydra. For on this picturesque island, a short trip from Greece's sprawling, congested capital, the donkey and the mule keep the town running. With motorized vehicles barred from the island - no cars, no bikes, no trucks are allowed - the only form of land transport is the donkeys http://articles.latimes.com/donkey. So, just in case you can't find your new, versatile mode of transportation anymore, you know where to go. Hydra it is. And what exactly was the difference between a donkey and a mule? Well, maybe something to write about in another JTEBS post (JTEBS = EDALS = every day a little smarter ;)