Perry, the Barron Park donkey, has died

BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer

Perry the donkey, who had a long and loving connection with Palo Alto residents and other members of his herd in the Barron Park neighborhood, has been euthanized after dealing with untreatable leg pain. He was 30 years old.

Perry – who inspired the animated movements of Donkey in the movie “Shrek” – was remembered yesterday as a friendly, playful and strong-willed animal who delighted visitors and volunteers at his pasture next to Bol Park, where he lived since 1997.

“He really connected with his eyes,” said volunteer Michelle Sturiale, who feeds the donkeys and helps run their social media. “He would recognize you when you would come up. He would never run away or be afraid I think he knew he was special.”

Volunteer Philip Jonas, a Gunn High School alumnus who feeds the donkeys on Fridays, said yesterday that Perry was awesome.

“He was very sweet, friendly, gentle, also very playful and a little cheeky,” Jonas said. “I’ll certainly miss him. It’s weird going here today and only having two of them.”

Perry, short for Pericles, was born in New York in 1994. A Woodside equestrian brought Perry to California to be a calming influence on his thoroughbred horses, the story goes.

Instead, Perry nipped at the horses, got fired and was donated to the Barron Park Donkey Project.

“He had a lot of energy and a big personality,” said Jenny Kiratli, lead handler for the Donkey Project.

Donkeys in Barron Park date back to the 1950s, when Stanford physicist Cornelius Bol added donkeys to his farm that later became Bol Park at 3590 Laguna Ave. The Donkey Project started in the 1990s after four volunteers helped care for a donkey named Mickey when the Bol family was no longer able. Mickey had lived on the pasture since 1967.

A new donkey named Niner was brought in as Perry’s companion after Mickey died in August 1998. Perry became very attached and would bray anytime he couldn’t see Niner, Kiratli said.

Animators from Pacific Data Images, a local company contracted by Dreamworks to help animate Shrek, visited the pasture that same year to observe Perry and learn how donkeys move around.

The way Perry tilts his head and looks sideways was emulated by Donkey, Kirtali said.

“They got the essence of Perry in there,” she said yesterday.

The company donated $75 to the pasture, and Perry was not mentioned in the credits, according to the Donkey Project.

But the appearance became Perry’s claim to fame, getting him more attention and a nickname: “The Celebrity.”

Plush Perry

Alison Williams, a former special events contractor for the city’s recreation department, made a stuffed plush miniature of Perry as the city’s unofficial mascot in April 2015.

“This is to make people realize that the community we live in is a fantastic, fun community,” Williams said at the time.

Mayor Karen Holman rode with the stuffed mascot in the May Fete Parade, and the plushie was photographed at a fire station, youth soccer games and a doctor’s exam at Palo Alto Medical Foundation.

Walks every Sunday

As part of the Donkey Project, Perry went on walks every Sunday morning at 10 a.m., rain or shine. He had dozens of volunteers sign up to take care of him.

Perry was good at letting volunteers know what he wanted, whether that was more food or play, Kirtali said.

“He had different relationships with different people, both handlers as well as neighbors,” Kirtali said.

Perry and Niner were inseparable until 2016, when Niner died at age 32. So the Donkey Project brought in Jenny, a desert rescue captured by the Bureau of Land Management.

Again, Perry developed a strong companionship with his partner, sticking together with Jenny on the one-acre pasture, Kirtali said.

Perry’s companions

Perry was heartbroken when Jenny died in November 2020 and spent three weeks at the gate until another donkey, Buddy, was brought in. Perry treated Buddy like a younger brother, and Buddy let Perry be the boss, Kirtali said.

Buddy and Perry got out of the pasture on Jan. 20, 2021. They made their way to Georgia Avenue, and animal control officers were prepared to shut down Arastradero Road if they got that far, Kirtali said.

But the donkeys, trotting around and appearing to have a great time, turned down a cul de sac and were brought home, Kirtali said.

The Donkey Project in March 2023 added April, a small donkey from Salinas with chronic hoof disease.

“By then, (Perry) was the elder statesman of the pasture,” Kirtali said.

Perry was a Jerusalem miniature donkey.

$10,000 for 30th

Perry celebrated his 30th birthday earlier this year. He had a party in June with donkey-themed activities, like pin the tail on the donkey, a coloring station and a scavenger hunt for kids.

Partygoers took pictures with a full-sized cardboard cutout of Perry, and over 300 people showed up, Kirtali said.

Before the party, Palo Alto City Council pitched in $10,000 for Perry and April’s medical bills.

The Washington Post picked up the story, and the Donkey Project raised over $27,000 in five weeks from donors in 36 states and six countries, Kirtali said.

“The comments from people all around the world showed a widespread love of donkeys,” Kirtali said.

Perry’s final months hind leg because of a nerve impingement, Kirtali said.

Starwood Equine Veterinary Services tried all kinds of treatments, including acupuncture and laser light therapy. But arthritis in the left leg caused issues in his right hind leg that were irreversible, Kirtali said.

When Buddy and April went on walks, Perry could no longer exercise. But Perry would block the gate when they went to leave, so volunteers brought him across the bridge to Bol Park while the other donkeys took a lap around the field.

Perry was on a high dosage of painkillers but would still lay down, move slowly and lift up his legs – indicating that he was in a lot of pain, Kirtali said.

So on Thursday, a veterinarian euthanized Perry and left him overnight at the pasture so Buddy andApril could know what happened and grieve.

Special donkey for special community

The Donkey Project will have a memorial later this month, Kirtali said.

She gave a big shoutout to the hundreds of volunteers who cared for Perry over the years. They range from high school students to retirees, with all kinds of backgrounds and levels of education.

One volunteer, Doug Moran, has been caring for the donkeys since Mickey was alive, Kirtali said.

“I don’t think there’s any other place that has what we have here,” Kirtali said. “(Perry) was a special donkey, and we have a special community.”

Mayor Greer Stone said yesterday that Palo Alto is mourning the loss, and Perry’s memory lives on through bonds he helped form.

“Perry had a unique ability to bring people together, creating shared movements of laughter and caring that naturally persuaded people to leave their worries at the gate,” Stone said. “Whether greeting visitors or inspiring stories that touched millions, Perry reminded us of the simple joys that unite us as a community.”s FAQ page.