In Spain there are donkey firefighters to fight fires 

In Spain, ravaged by oppressive heat and recurring fires , every solution is being invented to reduce the risks. And one seems to work very well: in areas at high risk of forest fires, donkeys, goats, and sheep are being used for so-called preventative grazing . These animals graze on grass, shrubs, and dry vegetation, reducing the material that could fuel a fire.

Donkeys are particularly appreciated because:

• they also eat some plants that other herbivores avoid;
• they can move well on difficult terrain;
• They can help keep firebreaks and rural areas clean.

In practice, rediscovering an ancient Catalan agricultural tradition, it is the animals, with their grazing, that reduce the dangers of fires, and for this reason in Spain they are now known as the "burros bomberos" , the "firefighting donkeys". The "Burros Bomberos" project , born in Tivissa , in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, with just a few animals, has grown to hundreds of donkeys employed to keep fields and wooded areas clean.

Another initiative is Ramats de Foc ("Flocks of Fire"), a project promoted by the Pau Costa Foundation in collaboration with the Bombers de la Generalitat de Catalunya . The goal is to connect farmers, forest owners, and firefighting services to graze animals in strategic areas, reducing the vegetation that fuels fires. The project primarily involves sheep, goats, and cattle, but also other herbivores where appropriate.

Read also

• "Sentinels of the Fires": Volunteers Prevent Fires in Sicily
• How to prevent forest fires