It's a sad day for fans of Shrek. Because everyone's favorite wisecracker Donkey is dead. Well, at least, the real-life inspiration is. Perry the miniature donkey has died at 30.
Throughout its long life, Perry's biggest claim to fame was serving as the model for Donkey in the Shrek franchise. In a statement online, Perry's handler Jenny Kiratli confirmed that the donkey had died. Perry lived in a pasture in Barron Park in California. He passed away on January 2 after struggling with laminitis, a severe hoof disease. The park made the sad decision to euthanize the animal.
"He was a part of the whole community, and everyone is mourning for him. So many people knew him," Kiratli says. Perry made the pasture hs home from the age of 3. "The story that people tell is that he was meant to be a calming influence on polo horses — but he was feisty, so that didn't work out."
"He had a huge personality," she continues. "So many children came by all the time to see [him]. They don't know he's the Shrek donkey. They just know he's a little, fuzzy animal who they love to pet."
Perry The Donkey Dies
Perry played an important role in the Shrek franchise. He served as a model for Eddie Murphy's character, the original source for many of the tics that fans love. Kiratli says, "I can attest that many of Donkey's classic head tilts, eye rolls and bouncy trots were straight from Perry."
Perry lived with two other donkeys named April And Buddy. The three of them were buddies.
"Through the night, they were moving up, nosing in, understanding that he was gone. They grieved," she told Palo Alto Online.
Kiratli hopes that Perry's legacy will live on and that people will come to visit his fellow donkey brethren. She also explained how the animal came to be part of the Shrek franchise. One of the animators lived in the area and knew of Perry.
"We have some parents and even grandparents who bring their kids to see the donkeys, and they remember them from when they were young. They are part of so many people's lives," she says. "There's three dozen of us [volunteers]. [The donkeys] get breakfast, lunch and dinner. They get a special walk on Sundays."
