Donkeys were among the first animals to be tamed by humans. The first donkeys probably came from Asia. People ride donkeys and use them to carry heavy loads, or burdens. Because they are surefooted, donkeys are useful on rough or hilly ground. Donkeys play an important part in the lives of people in the mountains of Ethiopia and other parts of northeastern Africa. They are also important to the people in the high plains of Tibet and in parts of South America. Donkeys today come in different sizes. From the ground to the shoulder, the American donkey is generally about 66. | LEARNING LIBRARY Familiar Animals Get to know the animals that live closest to us E I A Chicago London New Delhi Paris Seoul Sydney Taipei Tokyo PROJECT TEAM Judith West Editorial Project Manager Christopher Eaton Editor and Educational Consultant Kathryn Harper . Editorial Consultant Marilyn L. Barton Senior Production Coordinator Editors Theodore Pappas Anthony L. Green Mary Rose McCudden Andrea R. Field Michael J. Anderson Colin Murphy Locke Petersheim Indu Ramchandani Encyclopedia Britannica India Bhavana Nair India Rashi Jain India Design and Media Specialists Nancy Donohue Canfield Design Megan Newton-Abrams Design Karen Koblik Photos Joseph Taylor Illustrations Amy Ning Illustrations Jerry A. Kraus Illustrations Michael Nutter Maps Copy Editors Barbara Whitney Laura R. Gabler Dennis Skord Lisa Braucher Data Editor Paul Cranmer Indexer ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA PROJECT SUPPORT TEAM EDITORIAL Linda Berris Robert Curley Brian Duignan Kathleen Kuiper Kenneth Pletcher Jeffrey Wallenfeldt Anita Wolff Charles Cegielski Mark Domke Michael Frassetto James Hennelly Sherman Hollar Michael R. Hynes Sandra Langeneckert Gene O. Larson Michael I. Levy Robert Lewis Tom Michael Janet Moredock DESIGN Steven N. Kapusta Carol A. Gaines Cate Nichols ART Kathy Nakamura Kristine A. Strom Nadia C. Venegas ILLUSTRATION David Alexovich Christine McCabe Thomas Spanos MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT Jeannine Deubel Kimberly L. Cleary Kurt Heintz Quanah Humphreys COPY Sylvia Wallace Jennifer F. Gierat Glenn Jenne Mary Kasprzak Thad King Larry Kowalski Joan Lackowski Dawn McHugh Julian Ronning Chrystal Schmit Sarah Waterman INFORMATION MANAGEMENT INDEXING Carmen-Maria Hetrea Edward Paul Moragne Marco Sampaolo Sheila Vasich Mansur G. Abdullah Keith DeWeese Catherine Keich Stephen Seddon EDITORIAL TECHNOLOGIES Steven Bosco Gavin Chiu Bruce Walters Mark Wiechec COMPOSITION TECHNOLOGY Mel Stagner MANUFACTURING Dennis Flaherty Kim Gerber INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS Leah Mansoor Isabella Saccà .
