I recently had the opportunity to take photos of a friend’s granddaughter on a spring-like day last month. Late in the afternoon, we headed toward the A-State campus to take some photos near the former location of the Bill and Alice Nix Petting Zoo.

What started as a simple petting zoo on campus has since evolved into a signature event that celebrates Arkansas’ agricultural heritage and the future of food and animal care. In 2023, the event’s name was updated to Bill and Alice Nix Farm Day. The change provides access to a wider variety of animals in a controlled environment. The event is held twice a year – once in the fall and once in the spring – drawing more than 3,000 visitors annually.

Even though the petting zoo was not open when we visited campus to take a few pictures in late February, it brought back memories of a photo shoot many years ago that terrorized me and could have ended in disaster. 

The petting zoo on the A-State campus typically includes a variety of animals for children to pet. Animals on display in the zoo have included sheep, donkeys, miniature horses, deer, ducks, chickens, pigs, goats, calves and more. As I walked through the petting zoo on opening day many years ago, I took photos of visitors petting animals for the next issue of Occasions.

As I walked around the facility, I spotted a young brother and sister who had stopped to pet a donkey. When I asked if I could take their photo, the siblings happily agreed. As they turned toward the camera, the young girl placed her arm on the railing between her and the donkey.

About the time I began taking photos, the girl let out a scream. As I put the camera down, I realized that the donkey had a death grip on her forearm. The children had come to the petting zoo with their grandparents, who were nowhere nearby when the donkey bit down on the girl’s arm.

For a moment, I simply froze. I honestly had no idea how to fight a donkey. I felt my dad would have been disappointed in my lack of basic farm girl know-how.

I love animals, but I am by no means a country girl. Regardless, in a split second I was faced with trying to free a young girl that I didn’t know from a biting donkey. With no background in farm animals, a couple of options ran through my mind. I considered screaming at the top of my lungs to get someone’s attention or punching the donkey in the nose. As I stepped toward the rail and prepared to punch the donkey, it finally released its bite on the girl’s arm. I was then able to locate the siblings’ grandparents and explain what happened.

They say donkeys generally possess a more powerful, crushing bite compared to horses, often estimated to be more than 700 pounds of force due to their specialized, dense jaw structure designed to grind extremely fibrous, woody and tough plant material.

I will forever be thankful that the donkey released its bite before hurting the little girl seriously. She was bruised by the animal’s bite, but nothing was broken, and I was able to reunite with her family. 

If you are a city girl like me, learn from my mistake. Never turn your back on a donkey. While they can be affectionate, they have strong, independent personalities and are not prone to flight, so they often choose to fight, using biting, kicking and charging to defend their space. 

I will be happy to accompany children to a petting zoo again someday, but you will likely find me over by the baby ducks or fluffy rabbits minding my own business and remembering the day I almost had to punch a donkey in the face.