When the weather is this cold, the animals response in many ways. The donkeys and the sheep are similar, they are quiet and still, they conserve their energy.

They drink the heated water to warm up their insides. The stand facing the sun like statues, and their coats and wool and fur absorb the sun and warm them, even on the coldest days.

When the sun is not out, it is harder for them to stay warm, but we sometimes forget that animals like sheep and donkeys are desert and mountain animal, they have lived outdoors for thousands of years and they adapt, especially when they are given grain and hay and fresh warm water every day, and they have shelter with dry ground to stay out of the wind and dry off their hooves.

The donkeys stand like this for hours in the frigid cold, I stood with them this morning for a few minutes, and my fingers and toes began to hurt but my face and body felt the warmth.

The donkeys looked as if they were in a trance, and meditating. I hope they get relief soon, this weekend the temperatures are expected to drop far below zero, day and night. I cannot recall such a prolonged period of bitter cold, even where I live.