People have much affection for the humble donkey. It is seen as being quiet and friendlier than the horse. Donkeys do, however, kick and bite when they are made to do something they don't want to do, or are prodded and poked unnecessarily.
A Swedish lady kept a donkey with her horse. She thought it would make the horse happier and quieter. One day she separated the donkey from the horse. It became violent biting the lady's thumb. Furthermore, its teeth latched on firmly. She could not get it free the animal's mouth. Help arrived and a crowbar was used to pry the thumb away from the vicious bite.
The owner was taken to the nearest hospital and they found no breaks in her bones. She was bandaged, given a tetanus injection and taken home. A week late puss was oozing from the wound - she had not been given antibiotics. A sample taken from her hand showed the presence of Staphylococcus hyicus. This is common is the mouths of horses, but was not known to cause infection in humans.
The experience left the woman with a permanently numb area at the tip of her thumb. When you next feel like patting an animal that appears to be mild and friendly, just of think of the pain endured with the damaged thumb.
Society
