Google has a history of running over animals with their Street View team.

Ok, maybe not a “history,” but they have done it before. Years ago, Google was forced to make a public response regarding a Street View still of what appeared to be Bambi lying dead on the side of the road. They admitted that one of their drivers did in fact hit a deer, but that it was able to move and eventually scurried off the road.

Still, this incident was most likely fresh in people’s minds when another Street View image began to circulate around the interwebs earlier this week.

The Street View still showed a donkey lying on its side in the middle of the road, seemingly dead or injured. The donkey appeared to be the victim of a Google hit-and-run, in the middle of the Botswana desert. Here’s the image that started it all:

HOLY SHIT GOOGLE KILLED A DONKEY, right?

Wrong. Google says that this time, their Street View team is innocent.

“As our imagery below shows, the donkey was lying in the path – perhaps enjoying a dust bath – before moving safely aside as our car drove past. I’m pleased to confirm the donkey is alive and well.”

Here’s how Google proves that they never hit the donkey:

See? It’s alive, you jerks. Don’t be so quick to ass-ume (Google’s joke, not mine).