Trending
When Jennifer Gee's husband, Ed, suggested that their donkey, Hank, might be a Guinness World Record holder, she was all ears -- though not as much as Hank.
And after a year-long process, it was recently made official, Hank has the longest ears of any living donkey, according to the record tracker.
The Gees purchased the small farm they and Hank call home 28 years ago.
"I grew up on a farm called Buckhorn Ranch. My grandfather was Max Buck, and he bought and sold horses, mules and donkeys," she explained.
About 15 years ago, the Gees began venturing into raising donkeys for themselves.
After her first donkey passed away, Gee found a local breeder, where was instantly smitten with Hank.
"He immediately came up to me and followed me around the pasture. He wasn't for sale, but by the time I left, I had bought him because we just knew he was the one, and he kind of picked me too," she said.
Hank is an American Mammoth Donkey, meaning he is big enough to ride on.
"Donkeys age a lot slower than horses. With a horse, you have to stop riding them at 25 or so. Donkeys can be ridden and used well into the 30s," Gee said.
16-year-old Hank has now been a member of the family for five years.
While browsing through one of the donkey groups she's a member of on Facebook, Gee came across an article about the longest ears on a living donkey in the Guinness World Record, after which her husband mused that Hank's ears had to be longer than the then-current record of 15 inches.
"Just for a joke, we measured them and realized that we were over three inches longer," she said.
Gee said the process to get Hank certified as the new record holder was "tedious."
"There was a ton of paperwork. You have to have a licensed veterinarian. You have to have two people come out that are experienced with livestock. You have to take measurements, videos and then you have to send back different pictures because they don't like the angle," Gee said.
Although there was no official awards ceremony, Gee said she and the previous record holder are planning to hold a virtual handoff.
"She is a really good sport, and it's all in good fun," she said.
"You don't win any money. It's just something to say you have, and I'm sure at some point there will be people who push us out of the running, so you just enjoy it and joke around, telling people you have the donkey with the longest ears in the world," Gee said.
"I've taken him to some different events for trail competitions, we've gone up to different horse show grounds, and he's been to a couple fairs and some public trails that you're allowed to take your equestrians to ride, and one of the things people have always commented on was the length of his ears, so when I announced it on my little page, all these people that I competed with and trail rode with, were like, 'I knew he was the biggest one,'" she added.
"He's so fun, I could probably walk him into a Walmart, he will do anything I ask. He's just great," she said.
In the wake of his awarding, Gee said Hank's head has gotten even bigger.
"I joke, but he's the sweetest, most outgoing, lovable donkey and he just loves people probably more than he loves other animals," she said.
Gee said that while she is plotting her next moves in the wake of Hank's newfound fame, her reason for pursuing the award was closer to home.
"Some people have asked me about T-shirts with his picture on them. I really wouldn't even begin to know what I would do with something like this, but it was really something to do to prove to my husband that he was worth something," she said with a laugh.