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This summer has brought intense wildfires raging through southern Europe, occurring earlier than normal. In Spain alone, over 240,000 acres have been devastated, with a recent fire in the south becoming one of the nation’s most lethal.
The fight against wildfires has evolved into a technologically advanced operation utilizing satellites, drones, and AI technologies. However, 80 miles south of Barcelona, an age-old approach is quietly at work in the hills. This involves a herd of donkeys.
The Tivissa Donkey Firefighters, a nonprofit based in southern Catalonia, rescues neglected and abandoned donkeys and trains them as “firefighters.” By grazing on the highly flammable grasses in mountainous and rural regions, they create natural barriers against fire across the dry Mediterranean terrain.
Joan Cedó Sans, the founder, took in the initial donkeys in 2020, and his herd has now grown to 62, roaming the area to clear both private and public lands due to their insatiable appetites. “We’re thankful for these animals that deserve a second chance,” he shared with USdaily in Catalan.
Reflecting on the fires that affected his property in Catalonia, northeastern Spain, back in 2013, he decided to see if the early donkeys could help clear the scrub around it. “They devoured everything,” he recounted.
What started as a trial evolved into a full-scale operation, with Cedó, now serving as the mayor of Tivissa, delegating daily management to Jordi García, a volunteer who joined the initiative in 2021. “It’s incredibly rewarding,” García expressed in Spanish. “You’re immersed in nature, and you’ve given these creatures a second chance.”
One of the initial arrivals was Roberto, a former race donkey who faced slaughter after he stopped winning due to his large physique. “He is unique, and I believe he realizes it,” Cedó remarked. Paloma, another donkey, came with weight issues after being overfed with “supermarket cookies and sugar cubes,” Cedó explained. “Such a diet isn’t suitable for an animal like this. It’s a form of mistreatment, too.”
Cedó believes that the initiative serves a dual purpose: the donkeys help avert fires while also providing them with a “dignified life”—belonging to a herd, receiving veterinary care from volunteers, and enjoying supplementary food sourced from local farms and a nearby amusement park.
Their role has never been more vital. In 2025, the European Union reported its most devastating wildfire season on record, with Spain suffering the loss of nearly a million acres to flames.
Why donkeys?
Donkeys are natural grazers that prefer the grasses which dry out during the summer, forming “fine fuel”—the plant material that ignites easily and promotes fire spread—explained Dr. Jordi Bartolomé Filella, a professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) specializing in herbivore ecology.
Combining various types of herbivores tends to yield a “more thorough effect,” Bartolomé noted, “as they can impact different layers and species of undergrowth.”
In California, goats that quickly consume woody vegetation have led to the emergence of “goatscaping businesses” that rent out herds to graze on steep hillsides that are challenging for humans to clear.
However, Cedó believes his donkeys possess unique capabilities: “What donkeys do, neither goats nor sheep can replicate,” he asserted. “Their greater weight means they can trample harder and consume more.” By pressing down on the ground, they disrupt the connected layer of dry foliage necessary for a fire to spread.
Studies have indicated that grazing animals can serve as an effective fire prevention mechanism and can be more economical than using machinery to create firebreaks. Nevertheless, like all fire prevention strategies, it is not a guaranteed solution. “It’s challenging to ensure that livestock grazing will completely eliminate fires,” Bartolomé remarked. “However, it can reduce their intensity, making them easier to extinguish.”
The donkeys in Tivissa also play a crucial role in maintaining human-made firebreaks in the mountains. “It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement,” Cedó stated. “They clear the firebreaks, we place the animals there, and they keep it tidy.” He noted that the paths created by the donkeys can serve as routes for hoses during a fire.
Reviving an ancient idea
The Mediterranean region has always been characterized by fire, and the grazing of both wild and domesticated animals has historically kept dry areas under control.
“Without large herbivores, this biomass would eventually be consumed by fire. Unlike herbivores, fire burns it suddenly, with far-reaching effects on the ecosystem and dangers to human lives,” Bartolomé explained.
European wildfires emitted a staggering 13 million tons of carbon that contributes to climate change in 2025, and the aftermath of their destruction lingers: a burned forest ceases to absorb CO₂, while the smoke can hang in the air for weeks, posing health risks even at great distances.
Cedó found inspiration and guidance from “El Burrito Feliz,” a trailblazing nonprofit in southern Spain where rescued donkeys have grazed along the periphery of Doñana National Park since 2014.
Similar initiatives are emerging across the nation. Rewilding projects in Galicia, northwestern Spain, are reintroducing wild horses to function as “natural lawnmowers” in the country’s most fire-prone areas.
In Catalonia, the “Ramats de Foc” (Fire Flocks) project connects sheep and goat herders with local firefighters to graze in critical fire-prone areas. The meat and cheese produced from these flocks are marketed under a wildfire-prevention label, enabling consumers to support the initiative.
Authorities acknowledge the importance of livestock in fire prevention, according to Bartolomé, yet are uncertain about how to implement it effectively. He suggests that grazing programs will gain traction only when governments begin to fund them as an ecosystem service, similar to how they currently finance mechanical clearing.
Cedó mentioned that herders receive up to 80 euros per hectare ($37 an acre) for clearing private land and up to 300 euros per hectare ($138 per acre) on public land—amounts that are insufficient to sustain their efforts. Presently, Tivissa Donkey Firefighters depends on donations and partnerships to support its herd.
“This project originated from nothing, by chance,” Cedó remarked. “But it has provided profound lessons—socially and personally.”
“We aren’t doing anything that our ancestors didn’t do,” he continued. “We are merely reintroducing value to those rural tasks and lifestyles that heavily relied on animals.”
Correction:An earlier version of this story inaccurately stated that firefighters created firebreaks during training exercises and did not correctly represent the earnings of herders for clearing public land.
