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In Portugal, the donkeys despite the high importance that has always made the rural activities have been over the centuries voted to abandon in terms of measures of protection or improvement are always considered the poor relation of the horses.
For various reasons there is now in the national territory, an almost total absence of studies and references on the donkey, is clearly impossible to reconstruct the route have led to the emergence of varieties in the national territory, including the donkey of Miranda.
There is a stress study sponsored by the Douro International Natural Park in 1999, on the donkeys in the border strip that corresponds to the Protected Area. The data from this study helped in identifying biometric and statistical significance, a group of animals exist primarily in the parishes of the municipality of Miranda do Douro, and part of Mogadouro (Mirandês Plateau), which constituted about 25% of the sample of animals studied.
These animals had a uniform set of characteristics that are similar to the pattern of race-Leonesa Zamorano, stem from Europe, according to the theory on the phylogeny of domestic donkeys, above.
The findings of this study pointed to the existence of zootechnical parameters and own strategic interest and the local human population, which justified the initiation of the process of creating a local indigenous breed. These conclusions were supported by several indicators such as the existence, for decades, a group of animals with specific characteristics and distinct from other races, which have arisen in the Northeastern Region of Portugal. This group of animals survived to date thanks to the "inner" and the application of selection procedures, that the lack of directives and institutional support, held under the guidance of shortcomings and needs of the rural population residing in this region.
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