ai helps to distinguish donkeys in the sanctuary of Isle of Wight

Researchers said they hope the app will help monitor donkey health in the future

Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary/The hands in a navy jacket at the University of Southampton hold a phone with a gate and a donkey in the background. The smartphone display shows the app's user interface - a framed shot of a donkey with a green box around it, along with information that cannot be created in this photo. — Researchers said they hope the app will help monitor donkey health in the future

Visitors to the donkey sanctuary can use artificial intelligence (AI) and telephone cameras to identify their favorite adopted animals, researchers say.

Scientists at the University of Southampton have developed a mobile app used in Donkey Sanctuary in Isle of Wight, but said they hope it will help identify future health issues as well.

The app uses a library of hundreds of photos of donkeys from all angles, and uses machine learning and AI to distinguish them from each other.

There is still a way to go in development, and the app currently has only 50% coin flip accuracy.

However, Project Lead Dr. Xiaohao Cai said he is confident that by the end of the year it will be available for use by the public.

“At this point we are trying to bridge the gap between experimental accuracy and real-world accuracy,” says Dr. CAI.

Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary/Two donkeys and white and tan coats standing in the field facing the camera. Behind them are other donkeys grazing, and there are fences and buildings in the background. — Can you tell me these two separately?

The idea came into view after he realized that the collar of the name worn by the donkey was becoming dangerous and uncomfortable, according to Ventnor's sanctuary volunteer and councillor Gordon Pattison.

“We removed all the collars in 2023 because we had a few accidents and some close mistakes,” Pattison said.

“They are of no use to animals, but they are generally very useful – some of them will want to come and see certain animals.”

The sanctuary raises funds by allowing visitors to adopt donkeys — Pattison said thousands of people have signed up.

The app is called Ask Elvis (Horse Long-Distance Visual Identification System), named after one of the sanctuary donkeys who passed away in 2024 and was described by staff as “an iconic character.”

Gordon Pattison, third from the left, said thousands of visitors had signed up to hire donkeys

A group of seven people looking at cameras at Donkey Sanctuary Isle of Wight/University of Southampton is a group that includes staff at Donkey Sanctuary and scientists at the University of Southampton. In front of them are three donkeys, behind which are the field and fence. — Gordon Pattison, third from the left, said thousands of visitors had signed up to hire donkeys

“When the app starts, you see the donkey Elvis. The idea is asking the donkey, 'Who is the donkey over there?”,” Pattison said.

The app will then display the name of the donkey and a link to a web page where visitors can learn more about the animal.

And asked if the donkey would respond to their names, Pattison said they would.

He said he hoped in the future that the Sanctuary would work with university scientists to see if AI would also help monitor animal health issues, but the project has not yet been down from the ground.

“At this point, we'll pick it up (health issues), but we might not pick it up right away,” he said. “[The donkeys] Don't give too much, they are very stoic – so we need to look for subtle clues,” he added.

“The message is that AI is not just large companies.

“If you have an idea, it can help you – you need to approach the problem from a different perspective.”

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