Donkey Perry Who Modeled for ‘Shrek’ Dies At 30

The miniature donkey called Perry – short for Pericles – died last week in Palo Alto at the age of 30. Perry’s claim to fame was as the model for the gabby character “Donkey” in the movie Shrek.

“It is with great sadness that we share the death of the incomparable Perry,” the donkey’s handlers at Barron Park Donkeys mourned on their website. Perry was suffering from laminitis, a painful incurable disease that affects the hooves. “In Perry’s last weeks, handlers spent many hours at the pasture with him, petting him, cradling him, singing to him, and telling him that he was and always will be loved.”

Perry, born in New York, came to California in 1997 as a support animal for polo ponies (!), but that gig didn’t work out: Perry would nip at his charges rather than keep them calm. So he found a home in Barron Park. 

In 1999, animators from Pacific Data Images, a local company contracted by Dreamworks for 3D animation, visited the pasture and filmed Perry, whose movements would model those of “Donkey,” the character in Shrek voiced by Eddie Murphy. Perry was paid $75 for his contribution to the film, but was not credited on screen.

In 2001, the same year Shrek was released, Perry’s home in Palo Alto was formalized as the nonprofit Barron Park Donkey Project. The movie was a smash hit, so “Donkey” became internationally famous while Perry became known locally for his affectionate nuzzles and gentle attitude with kids.

“We are all blessed for having known him and we will never, ever forget him,” his handlers write. They plan to have  a memorial service for Perry soon. Visit the website to learn more about donkeys and to donate to the cause.

Photo credit: Barron Park Donkeys