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If donkeys apparently no longer serve any purpose in the modern world, why are there still so many of them in rural areas and on the outskirts of urban areas in France? In an attempt to understand this paradox, this article firstly offers a cartographic analysis of statistical sources available at the national level. From this, a specific geography emerges, showing areas where they are bred, areas where they are used by humans, along with areas where donkey owners are mainly amateurs, and those where they tend to be farmers. We then move on to examine the different uses of the donkey, drawing on results from qualitative surveys. Be they direct (donkey milk) or indirect (porterage, pulling vehicles), all these uses enable the donkey to occupy a new role in society. Its (admittedly small-scale) re-entry into society can also take quite conflicting forms, linked in particular to issues of breed selection and the ownership of this animal by individual members of the public.