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2/2014 http://www.business-spotlight.de/newsletter

“In the dog-eat-dogeconomy,

the Doberman is boss”

Edward Abbey (1927–89), US environmentalist

and author

“How many people on their

deathbed wish they’d spent

more time at the office?”

Stephen R. Covey (1932–2012), businessman

and author of The Seven Habits of Highly

Effective People

“The two most beautiful

words in the English language

are ‘checkenclosed’”

Dorothy Parker (1893–1967), US poet and

short-story writer

What they said...

F

or centuries, Miranda donkeys—

native tothe Terra de Miranda re-

gion of north-eastern Portugal —

have been helping local farmers. But

increasing mechanization has re-

duced the animals’ role to such an

extent that they are nearly extinct.

Now, a new threat is on the horizon.

As a result of falling EU farm subsidies, many farmers say

they will no longer be able to afford the donkeys.

“I remember donkeys would be seen walking along most

of our roads, which really isn’t the case now,” Filomena

Afonso, director of animal genetic researchat the Por-

tuguese Ministry of Agriculture, told The New York Times.

Feeding and caring for a donkey costs an estimated €500 a

year. “Farmers now own donkeys out of love rather than for

the subsidies,” says veterinary scientistJavier Navas, who

is working on a doctoral thesisabout donkeys at the Uni-

versity of Córdoba in Spain.

PORTUGAL

Donkeys in danger

check[tSek] US Scheck

doctoral thesis [)dQktErEl (Ti:sIs]Dissertation

dog-eat-dog [)dQg i:t (dQg] mörderisch, Ellenbogen-

donkey [(dQNki] Esel

enclosed [In(klEUzd] beiliegend, anbei

environmentalist Umweltschützer(in)

[In)vaI&rEn(ment&lIst]

extinct [Ik(stINkt] ausgestorben

genetic research Genforschung

[dZE)netIk ri(s§:tS]

native to[(neItIv tu] beheimatet in

subsidy [(sVbsEdi] Subvention

veterinary scientist Veterinärmediziner(in)

[)vet&rEnEri (saIEntIst]

medium

Rare sight:

donkey at work

iStock

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08-11 Namesandnews 2_14 17.01.14 11:58 Seite 11