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In The Grand Canyon, Mules Rule

NPR

Published June 18, 2018 at 11:33 AM CDT

Mules have been the preferred draft animal at the canyon since prospectors, then tourists, started coming here in the late 1880s. Mule fans say the creatures are smarter and stronger than a horse, with a better sense of self-preservation. (Stina Sieg/KJZZ)

Thousands of years ago, in what’s now the country of Turkey, historians say someone decided to breed a horse with a donkey. Thus the mule was born. The sturdy hybrids were soon used all over the world. And while cars and trucks have mostly replaced them by now, there’s a famous spot where these beasts of burden still reign supreme.

KJZZ’s Stina Sieg (@StinaSieg) reports.