African Wild Ass (Wildlife by CollectA)

The African wild ass (Equus africanus) is a species of Equid native to the arid regions of North Africa. It is also critically endangered with only about 570 individuals living in the wild. Two sub-species have been described, the Nubian wild ass (E. a. africanus) and the Somali wild ass (E. a. somaliensis) with the former now believed to be extinct. Although threatened with extinction the wild ass lives on in its domesticated sub-species, the donkey (E. a. asinus) although it is sometimes classified as its own species.

Wild asses are just about as rare in the toy animal hobby as they are naturally, although their domestic counterparts are quite common. Art imitating life, you could say.  In fact, if you want a wild ass for your shelf the CollectA 2014 African wild ass is the only option. Luckily, it’s rather good. Let’s take a closer look.

The African wild ass has a shoulder height of about 4’ (1.2 meters) and can weigh up to 600 lbs. (250 kilograms). The CollectA toy has a shoulder height of 2.5” (6.35 cm) and measures 4.5” long (11.43 cm). That puts the CollectA toy at about 1/20 in scale.

The CollectA wild ass is presented in a static posture, with all limbs planted firmly to the ground and the head facing forward. I don’t personally mind these static figures, but a small touch of lifelike dynamism would have been appreciated.

A coat of fine hairs is sculpted across the figure, with a short erect mane running down the neck. Tendons and musculature are nicely sculpted around the face and for some reason the mouth is drawn back further on the left side than it is on the right. Folds of skin run down the neck and a thin black dorsal stripe runs down the back. Testicles and a sheath are present, so it’s a male. Some veins are sculpted around the belly and even the bottom of the hooves are detailed. Overall, a beautifully and meticulously sculpted toy.

Wild asses live in loose herds of up to 50 individuals and are most active during the late evening through early morning. During the day they seek shelter in shade provided by rocky outcrops and overhangs. The species is endangered for a multitude of reasons, including competition with domestic livestock, cross breeding with domestic donkeys, and overhunting by humans. Interestingly it has no real natural predators in its extant range, because large predators like lions, leopards, and hyenas are rare or absent in those regions.

The CollectA wild ass is painted pale gray with a white underside. The ears, mane, and tail are tipped in black. The legs are white with black horizontal stripes, a feature that identifies this wild ass as being the Somali sub-species. The muzzle is paler than the rest of the body and tipped in black. The nostrils and eyes are painted with a black, shiny finish.

Thankfully, when it comes to the wild ass, we have quality instead of quantity. The CollectA wild ass is a more than adequate figure of an animal for which there are no decent alternatives. No collection of wild Equids would be complete without it. The CollectA African wild ass is still in production and retails for about $7-8.