What an ass! Posh Haryana donkey on sale for Rs 10 lakh

Tippu the jackass is no less than a celebrity.

Tippu, now the costliest donkey in the country, is seven inches taller than normal asses, its owner said. Asses do not cost more than a lakh or two, but Tippu is different.

Tippu's owner Raj Singh, who hails from Haryana's Sonepat, can go on and on about his ass-et.

"Tippu is no ordinary donkey," he said. "We are using it for breeding mules and it is a jackass. It is nearly seven inches taller than a normal donkey. I was offered Rs 5 lakh by an Uttar Pradesh-based breeder at the Beri Cattle Festival in Rohtak but I refused. I want double the price for Tippu because he is unique and the biggest among its species", Raj Singh said.

ROYAL ROUTINE

Not only does Tippu cost so much, he lives a life of luxury. His routine will put other donkeys and many humans to shame.

Tippu has a beastly appetite. His daily diet includes five kilograms of black gram, four litres of milk and 20 kg of green fodder. Singh said black gram is his favourite food.

Daily, Singh spends at least Rs 1000 on Tippu. That's more than what millions of Indians make in a day.

Morning and evening walks are a must for Tippu, Singh said. "I take him to an open space where he indulges in all sorts of recreational activities (masti) including sprawling on the ground."

Tippu's stable has a fan too.

"He is just not a donkey for us, he is a star, and he is priceless," Raj Singh said. Popular among mule breeders, Tippu's visitors come from Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

FAMILY BUSINESS

Breeding is what Raj Singh does for a living. His father Dharam Singh, who died last month, used to breed mules to make a living for over five decades.

Raj Singh owns only a single jenny (female donkey). He charges Rs 2,000 for a mare and Rs 10,000 for a jenny.

The family has so far sold donkeys between Rs 3 to 3.5 lakh. A Bagpat-based farmer, who bought a donkey for Rs 3.5 lakh from him, had sold it for Rs 5 lakh.

Raj Singh and his younger brother Rajnish have been running the mule-breeding business since their father's death. They have plans to breed a super donkey, which will be taller and stronger than Tippu.

They may be planning to sell it for Rs 20 lakh and make headlines again.

In recent times, a farmer from Haryana's Kurukshetra had bred the costliest bull called Yuvraj, which was offered a whopping Rs 10 crore.

Also read | This super bull is worth Rs 10 crore