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Up close and personal with the donkeys that left WTOL Meteorologist speechless

The viral clip showing Matt Willoughby's confused reaction to the three donkeys that showed up behind him had over half a million views in just a few days.

OREGON, Ohio — Earlier in the week WTOL shared a behind the scenes video of Meteorologist Matt Willoughby being photo bombed by a gentleman walking his donkeys at a Maumee Bay State Park campground in Oregon.

The clip went viral for Matt’s perfectly understandable reaction unfolding as he was waiting to go live to camera, turning around to the sight of three donkeys at the campground behind him.

The video quickly caught the attention of well over a half a million viewers and was even shared by ABC News, among others.

But one question remains: Why were there donkeys walking around the campground?

On Saturday, Matt and photojournalist Cheyenne Kastura (who can be heard laughing throughout the viral video) met up with Neil Harmon, the man with donkeys, to find out.

Harmon, who got the animals about six years ago, says he and his wife live nearby and find the horse trail at the campground to be the perfect place to give them a little bit of exercise.

Harmon, his wife, and the donkeys - whose names are Bree, Tyrian, and Sam incidentally - typically walk about two miles along the trail and back home.

Credit: WTOL 11

Harmon, who was having trouble keeping the donkeys from wandering into the grass during the interview says he is surprised by the way the video has taken off but is enjoying the moment.  

“I watched it a lot of times. But it was your reaction and her laughing, the whole thing. And your reaction being speechless was great because it's better than a lot of the donkey puns we get from people coming by,” said Harmon.

Credit: WTOL 11

And now that the donkeys are viral television stars Harmon says he had to go out and buy new harnesses for their television interviews.

And if you’re lucky, you might have a donkey sighting of your own at the campground.

Credit: WTOL 11
Photojournalist Cheyenne Kastura (bottom left) and Meteorologist Matt Willoughby (center) pose with the donkeys and their handler.

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