'Talking' donkeys to give rides on the South Bank

They're a common sight in Blackpool, and now donkeys are coming to the South Bank. But there’s an added twist — these ones can talk.

Four of the beasts of burden have been brought down from Blackpool Pleasure Beach to London and will be giving rides to children next week.

Meanwhile, “donkey-whisperer” Mark Ineson has teamed up with the Design Works company to create a “translation” device which claims to analyse the frequency and vibrations of the sounds produced by the animals and then relay what they mean through a series of pre-recorded phrases.

Mr Ineson’s invention claims to detect when a donkey is feeling hungry and when it is impatient. Phrases include “I wish I had a carrot” and “Hurry up — let’s go”.

Sean Miles, head of production at Design Works, said: “We’ve been asked for all sorts of crazy contraptions over the years but getting donkeys to talk was a whole new challenge for us.

“While the technology that identifies sound as a trigger was relatively achievable, figuring out the animals’ emotions was much harder.

“For this part we were able to work with Mark, who is something of a donkey-whisperer, to get a gauge on the animals’ emotional responses and ultimately create a piece of technology that is very intuitive to what the donkeys are communicating.”

The donkeys will give free rides to children aged between two and 15 at the London Eye, London Dungeon, the Sea Life London Aquarium and Shrek’s Adventure! from next Tuesday to Thursday. Book a ride at eventbrite.co.uk/e/south-bank-donkey-rides-tickets-26562844182.

Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout