Dr. Faith Burden

They are also wonderfully intelligent, which is both an amazing trait for human beings, but has also caused some confusion and concern, I think it's best to say.

So mules definitely need kind and consistent training and handling.

Otherwise, they can be tricky to deal with.

But certainly, you know, the West of America was settled on the back of a mule, or at least behind it, because mules drew the wagons that took settlers away.

across but you also have mules working in probably some of the toughest environments around the world so the Nepalese mountains so much of Everest base camp the supplies that go up to the near mountains they will be carried on mules because they're sure-footed they're tough they're strong and they bring that best of both worlds but you have to treat them fairly and

And you have to be really consistent with mules because they don't tend to forgive and forget.

They are clever animals.

Exactly.

Respectful that they will work well and hard for their owners, but they need to be properly treated and cared for.

And a poorly handled mule is not something for the faint-hearted, that's for sure.

Yeah, that's often the thing that's brought up, or cloned mules, or can we design this ultimate thing?

equid but actually nature itself is really clever isn't it and I think you know mules have to be bred because they're wanted and they have a purpose and I think people that really value mules understand that they can't have an offspring but they're worth it just for what they have in that hybrid vigour.

They're doing great.

They're very popular.

They are very, very popular at the moment as pets.

They are believed to have originally been bred in Sicily and Sardinia in Italy, particularly for the tiny, tiny little tracks that you find in those rather arid environments.

Since then, they've become exceptionally popular pets.

And they are wonderful, but they do, if they're not bred carefully and properly, they can suffer from issues associated with trying to breed too small.

So they can get dental issues.

They can get foot problems.