By Sara Ruberg Perry, a miniature donkey whose handlers said he was used by DreamWorks animators as a model for the chatty “Shrek” character named Donkey, died last week at the age of 30.

In the run-up to the release of “Shrek,” a celebrity emerged from a pasture in Palo Alto, California — Perry, a 5-year-old gray miniature donkey. Dozens of animators visited the pasture ...