When Diesel the donkey ran away on a hike near his home outside Sacramento, Calif., 5 years ago, his owners assumed the worst. Explaining that the donkey isn’t aggressive, owner Terrie Drewry said he would likely be unable to defend himself in the wild. Years passed without any sign of Diesel. Then, Max Fennell, a professional triathlete who occasionally hunts in wild California, spotted and filmed a herd of at least a dozen elk in the northern California wilderness. He spotted something unusual and discovered that it was a donkey. Drewry, who has viewed the video of the elk herd, is positive that the donkey in video is her Diesel. Drewry’s family adopted Diesel from the Bureau of Land Management, and he lived on their ranch in peace for the first few years, alongside chickens, a llama, and a miniature donkey. On a fateful hike in April 2019, Diesel was spooked by something and took off running, dragging Drewry’s husband Dave through the bushes behind him. For weeks they searched the area, but were never able to locate Diesel. Drewry said she’s happy to find that Diesel is alive and apparently thriving with his new elk family. Though she misses him, Drewry said she won’t try to catch Diesel and bring him back. “He’s truly a wild burrow now.”
