$10,000 to care for the aging ‘Shrek’ donkey and friends? One Palo Alto council member says neigh

Perry, who turns 30 on Sunday, was used as a model in the design of the Donkey character in “Shrek.” Whoo, look at that — the Barron Park Donkeys of Palo Alto are about to come into a bit of government money. The mayor and the City Council of the Northern California city decided last week to contribute a $10,000 matching grant to the group that cares for a trio of asses — including one special donkey on which the “Shrek” movie character named Donkey was modeled — that live on a one-acre pasture in Bol Park. Although the friendly creatures have a lot of support in the community, one Palo Alto council member opposed the grant because the city is facing a budget crunch. Although many say Perry is the inspiration for the character Donkey from “Shrek,” Kiratli said the story is a bit more complicated.