The African wild ass or African wild donkey (Equus africanus) is a wild member of the horse family, Equidae.[3] This species is believed to be the ancestor of the domestic donkey, which is usually placed within the same species.[4] They live in the deserts and other arid areas of the Horn of Africa, in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. It formerly had a wider range north and west into Sudan, Egypt, and Libya. About 570 individuals exist in the wild.