Some of Spain’s newest wildfire responders don’t carry hoses or heavy gear. They eat.

Spain is deploying rescued donkeys to clear vegetation in a wildfire-prevention effort, according to Moneycontrol. The animals graze on dry brush and other growth that can fuel dangerous fires.

The approach serves two purposes at once. It lowers the amount of burnable material on the ground and gives rescued animals a second chance.

By consuming brush before it dries out and builds up, the donkeys leave less material available to feed flames. In fire-prone regions, that kind of prevention can make a meaningful difference.

Spain has been battling an especially brutal wildfire season. Fires consumed nearly 346,000 acres in a two-week period in July.

Spain’s Minister of the Interior said the fire in Ávila became “the largest and most destructive fire in Spain’s history.”

The international scientific community also found that “The likelihood and severity of [the fires] have been increased by human-caused warming… and [are] at least 20 times as likely in central Spain” because of global warming.

The donkey effort focuses on reducing the conditions that allow fires to spread in the first place. Dense, unmanaged vegetation can act like tinder, especially during periods of extreme heat.

The project also links animal welfare with environmental protection. Rather than relying only on expensive machinery or intensive clearing operations, communities can care for rescued animals while putting their grazing to use.

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