The illustrations that appear in the book were created in Macromedia Freehand 7.0 by Robert Romano. This colophon was written by Clairemarie Fisher O'Leary. The animal on the cover of Managing IP Networks with Cisco Routers is a donkey, or ass. Relatives of horses, today's domesticated asses are descendants of the African wild ass, making them the only domesticated animal, with the possible exception of the cat, with origins in Africa. Wild asses have been kept as beasts of burden since ancient times, and by 2500 B.C. domestic asses were depicted in Egyptian art.
Donkeys make excellent beasts of burden for several reasons.
They are capable of very sure footing, and can live in mountainous areas. Unlike most animals, donkeys can survive on brackish water. And, despite their reputations for stubborness, they often have placid dispositions. These hybrid offspring are always sterile.