By Stephen Beech
Donkeys were introduced to North America by the first English settlers over 400 years ago, according to new research.
Analysis of centuries-old bones shows that the Jamestown colonists brought the beasts of burden, as well as horses, to the New World.
Scientists say their study of bones unearthed in Virginia rewrites the story of how donkeys first arrived on the continent – and how they were almost certainly EATEN by the colonists.
While written records from the earliest English explorers show horses were among the animals brought to Jamestown, the new archaeological analysis of animal remains discovered there is the first to show that colonists also introduced donkeys.
The study, published in the journal Science Advances, also reveals that the donkeys were probably butchered and eaten along with horses during Jamestown’s infamous winter of starvation.
Arriving in May 1607, the first Jamestown settlers were 104 English men and boys, led by the Virginia Company and figures including Captain Christopher Newport and Captain John Smith.
They established the first permanent English settlement in North America.
Study senior author Professor John Krigbaum, of the University of Florida, said: “There are no written records of donkeys on ship manifests and reports, yet evidence suggests they were valued as dependable work animals.”
With their preliminary tests, archaeologists linked the earliest parts of the settlement to the “Starving Time” winter of 1609-1610, a connection later confirmed by radiocarbon dating.
The study provides an insight into how and why horses and donkeys were transported and managed, and how they were able to spread and establish wild populations across the continent.
With the species and timeframe confirmed, further tests unveiled new insights into how the animals once lived.
Wear and tear on the bones showed evidence of bridling, suggesting their use as work animals.
DNA and bone chemistry analysis of the isotopes in tooth enamel suggested that the donkeys did not originate in Britain but was picked up by settlers along the route of their transatlantic journey.
Krigbaum said: “Ancient DNA points to Iberia or West Africa, which is consistent with its isotope signature, but the isotopic evidence is also consistent with Trinidad and Tobago, which is not far off the route sailed.”
Examining the wear and tear on the samples also revealed a tragic end for many of the animals.
Faced with hunger and having soured their relationships with nearby indigenous people, settlers were forced to eat their animals and, in the direst situations, their dead.
While records show that horses were consumed at the time, the new analysis suggests donkeys were also eaten.
Study lead author Dr William Taylor, of the University of Colorado Boulder, added: “They show that adult horses were eaten, butchered and cooked or boiled, with most elements split open to extract even the minutest nutritional resources including dental pulp.”
The research team now plan to examine remains from the 16th Century Spanish settlement of Puerto Real, in the Caribbean, to uncover further evidence of how horses and donkeys helped shape the earliest chapters of American history.
