The Cotentin Donkey or is a French breed of domestic donkey from the Cotentin peninsula, in the département of la Manche, in the Lower Normandy Region of north-west France. It is found mostly in that region, but is distributed through much of north-western France. It was in the past used as a pack animal in agricultural work, mainly for carrying milk churns; it is now used in leisure sports and tourism. The breed was recognised by the , the French ministry of agriculture, in 1997. The stud-book is kept by the , an association of breeders.
History
Donkeys are documented in the Cotentin from the sixteenth century. In the 1930s there were donkeys in the département of la Manche. Numbers dwindled with the mechanisation of agriculture in the period after the Second World War, but less rapidly than in some other breeds, and in 1960 there were still in the Manche. A breeders' association, the , was formed in 1995; since 1997, when the breed was officially recognised by the agriculture ministry and the Haras Nationaux, the association has kept the stud-book for the breed.
The Cotentin Donkey is raised mainly in Lower Normandy, but is also found in more than half the départements of France, mostly in the north-west. Numbers were estimated at in 2001. In 2011 there were 107 breeders, and 140 new registrations in the stud-book, approximately a quarter of all new donkey registrations in that year.
Characteristics
Jacks stand about at the withers, jennies about . The coat is dove-grey, with a well-defined darker dorsal stripe and shoulder-stripe; the legs may show zebra-striping. The lower part of the muzzle is grey-white, as is the belly.
Use
Like the Norman Donkey, the Cotentin Donkey was formerly used in agricultural work, both as a pack animal to transport churns of milk in a time when cows were milked by hand in the field, and in harness. In the twenty-first century it may be used as a pack animal for hiking or trekking, for recreational driving, in therapy for the handicapped, or kept as a companion animal or pet. The milk may be used to make cold process soap.
References
Historique de l'association (in French). Association de l'âne du Cotentin. Archived 14 July 2014.
Vente de savons au lait de nos anesses (in French). Association de l'âne du Cotentin. Archived 14 July 2014.
Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. . Archived 23 June 2020.
Lætitia Bataille (2008). Âne du Cotentin (in French). In: Races équines de France. France Agricole Éditions. .
Breed data sheet: Âne du Cotentin / France (Ass). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed July 2025.
Serge Farissier (2007). L'âne du Cotentin (in French). In: L'âne. Editions Artemis. .
Erik Groult (1998). L'âne du Cotentin (in French). Patrimoine Normand. 22 (August–September 1998). Archived 14 July 2014.
Fiche de l'âne du Cotentin (in French). Haras nationaux Accessed July 2014.
Waltraud Kugler, Hans-Peter Grunenfelder, Elli Broxham (2008). Donkey Breeds in Europe: Inventory, Description, Need for Action, Conservation; Report 2007/2008. St. Gallen, Switzerland: Monitoring Institute for Rare Breeds and Seeds in Europe. Archived 2 September 2009.
Marie-Hélène Le Henaff (8 January 2010). Annexe I: Standard de l'ane du Cotentin (in French). Annex to: Arrêté du 8 janvier 2010, Ministère de l'alimentation, de l'agriculture et de la pêche. In: Journal officiel "Lois et Décrets". 0018, 22 January 2010. Archived 14 July 2014.