The donkey (Equus asinus) has always been a part of the rural countryside of North Africa. However, the origin of domesticated donkeys in the Maghreb is disputed. According to one theory, supported notably by l'Encyclopédie berbère, the domestic species is not native to the region, and is descended from the African wild donkey (E. africanus), whose origins are found in East Africa. According to the theory of Colin Groves (1986), a sub-species of the North African wild donkey (Equus africanus atlanticus) had lived until the first few centuries AD, but it is not known if it was domesticated, and it seems very unlikely.. There are no archaeological remains of this subspecies so it can only be depicted through representations. Originating in the Atlas Mountains, E. a. atlanticus went extinct around 300 AD. Whatever its exact origins, the donkey was domesticated in Africa, the oldest proof of its use going back to the culture of Maadi-Bouto, in Egypt, in the 4th Millennium B.C... The history of the donkey in Africa is notoriously difficult to study as, although the species was widely used, very little was written about it, no plans for the development nor for the improvement of the species were developed, and very few archaeological remnants are left. There are no remains to document its existence in the Tunisian Sahara. The first domesticated donkeys, who originate from arid or semi-arid regions, are very sensitive to humidity.