Derrick the donkey hasn’t stopped growing just yet (Picture: SWNS)

Britain’s biggest donkey is edging closer to becoming the world’s tallest – and is now just a quarter of an inch off the record.

The ‘gentle giant’ called Derrick is a staggering 5ft 7ins tall and is still growing.

The five-year-old is an American Mammoth Jackstock – the largest breed in the world.

The current record is held by Romulus in Texas, who measures 5ft 8ins.


Derrick is now just a quarter of an inch short but his owners say he will easily become a world record holder for the biggest donkey.

The donkey lives at Radcliffe Donkey Sanctuary, Lincolnshire.

Derrick is a staggering 16.36 hands (5ft 7ins) tall (Picture: SWNS)

Derrick is now just a quarter of an inch short of the record, but his owners say he will easily become a world record holder for biggest donkey (Picture: SWNS)

Sanctuary owner Tracy Garton said: ‘He was always big, he was big when he was born.



‘He hasn’t finished growing yet, they stop growing when they reach seven years old.

‘So he still has a lot of time.’

The 52-year-old said that despite his size, Derrick is ‘very very friendly’.

‘He’s just like a big dog, follows you around all the time and wants to be by your side.’

Derrick towers over the sanctuary’s smallest member of staff, Tyler Allen-Day, who is just 5ft (Picture: SWNS)

The donkey lives at Radcliffe Donkey Sanctuary, Lincolnshire (Picture: SWNS)

When Derrick stops growing, the sanctuary will call the Guinness World Records.

Romulus has held the title since 2013, but is set to lose the crown once Derrick finishes growing.

Radcliffe Donkey Sanctuary opened in 1992.

It has 59 animals including donkeys, mules, horses, zeedonks and a zonky.

Derrick towers over the sanctuary’s smallest member of staff, Tyler Allen-Day, who is just 5ft.

The 12-year-old has worked as a volunteer looking after the giant donkey and the other animals for the past two years.

Got a story for Metro.co.uk? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.