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Texas donkey escape draws a million armchair detectives

Two horses and a donkey were spotted wandering near traffic before being wrangled beside a Texas highway; the donkey remains a person of interest.

On air: Hank Ledger and Dale Bearman on The Five O'Clock
Published 5:04 PM ET, Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Photo: Adrian Pingstone · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

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Photo: Adrian Pingstone · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

Photo: Donkey — Photo: Adrian Pingstone · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

At a glance

First reported by UPI: “Watch: Two loose horses and a donkey wrangled next to Texas highway”.
Covered on BBN on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 5:04 PM ET on The Five O'Clock, by Hank Ledger and Dale Bearman; aired 2 times.
Topics: Texas.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

UPIWatch: Two loose horses and a donkey wrangled next to Texas highway

What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe Texas highway clip is still making the rounds tonight, with two loose horses and a donkey wrangled at the roadside after wandering near traffic.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorAnd I stand by what we said at lunchtime: the horses were the decoy. The donkey stood back and let them take the cameras.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorIt's a donkey, Dale. It was standing next to a road.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorThat is exactly what a getaway looks like. Calm, quiet, and nobody ever looks at the donkey.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorWrangled.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorCaught, Hank, only once. I'd like to know how many other highways this donkey has been seen near.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe donkey has declined to comment, which makes it the most disciplined guest we've had today.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorLater this half hour, Apple has a big bet on the smart home, and I have a feeling we've seen this one before.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorDr. Byte, tell us whether a gadget has ever planned an escape.

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