Zeedonk

From Freepedia

A zeedonk (also spelled zedonk) (also known a zebrass, zebronkey, zebadonk, zenkey or deebra) is an interspecies cross between a zebra and a donkey. The generic name for crosses between zebras and horses or asses is zebroid or zebra mule. Donkeys are closely related to zebras and both animals belong to the horse family. Zeedonks are very rare.

In South Africa they are called zonkeys and are fairly common where zebras and donkeys are found in close proximity. Like mules, however, they cannot usually breed, due to an odd number of chromosomes disrupting meiosis. Charles Darwin reported a case of a zedonk that apparently bred with a bay mare to produce a "triple hybrid".

Usually a zebra stallion is paired with a horse mare or ass mare, but in 2005, a Burchell's zebra named Allison produced a zebrass called Alex sired by a donkey at Highland plantation in St. Thomas parish, Barbados. Alex, born April 21st 2005, is apparently the first zeedonk in Barbados.

In captivity

Though zeedonks are rare, zoos have succeeded in producing them. Colchester Zoo in Essex claimed, erroneously, to have produced the first zeedonk in 1971. Zebra-ass hybrids, substantially predating those at Colchester, were reported by Charles Darwin. A breeding programme at the zoo in 1975 resulted in several hybrids. In Christmas week of 1975 their third zeedonk foal was born; the result of mating a donkey with different male zebras. Previous attempts at crossbreeding zebras with horses and donkeys had failed to produce surviving foals. The zoo's aim was to produce disease-resistant work-horses for Africa. Colchester Zoo experts believed their success was due to the use of an Arabian donkey (a variety not tried before in hybridization experiments) and were hopeful that the hybrids would be viable and fertile. A zeedonk is still exhibited at Colchester, but they now have a policy of preventing interbreeding and so will not be breeding more.

Colchester Zoo were, knowingly or unknowingly, repeating an experiment made by the Boers during the South African War when zebroids were bred as work animals. In that earlier experiment, Chapman's zebras and ponies were crossed to evolve a new animal for transport work.

In "The Variation Of Animals And Plants Under Domestication", Darwin wrote: "I have seen, in the British Museum, a hybrid from the ass and zebra dappled on its hinder quarters." This pre-dates the claim from Colchester Zoo. Darwin continued "Many years ago I saw in the Zoological Gardens a curious triple hybrid, from a bay mare, by a hybrid from a male ass and female zebra." In "Origin of Species" (1859) Charles Darwin mentioned four coloured drawings of hybrids between the ass and zebra.

An "ass-zebra" is shown and described in "Wonders of Animal Life" (1930) edited by J A Hammerton. Crosses between Grevy's Zebra and the Somali Ass are reported from the same period.

Exotic animal breeders who house zebras sometimes breed zeedonks.