Please Welcome Our Adorable New Zedonk Overlords

Have you seen these pictures of the new zedonk baby, born to a donkey mother and a zebra father on a wildlife preserve in Georgia?  I think this is the result of what other donkeys call "stripe fever."  The little female was born on July 22nd, and appears to be wearing a pretty sweet set of striped legwarmers.  

(I like to imagine the little zedonk frolicking in a field with another recent hybrid, the sheep-goat cross called a "geep."  I bet they would become best friends!  I mean, if you think about it, they have so much in common!)

As unusual as they may sound, these crosses do occasionally occur.  Stripey love knows no bounds, and several donkey-zebra hybrids have been born.  Some of these hybrids did not live into adulthood, probably partly because of the genetic mis-match between donkeys (which have 62 chromosomes) and zebras (which have 32 to 46 chromosomes).

The non-profit Chestatee Wildlife Preserve in Northeast Georgia's Lumpkin County apparently keeps donkeys and zebras pastured together.  (Not really sure what donkeys are doing running around a wildlife preserve, but what do I know?)  Other zedonks have been born under similar conditions in Africa and Barbados.

Obviously the more common hybridization occurs between horses and donkeys.  But any member of the equine family has the potential of producing offspring with any other member.  Naturally these hybrids are almost always sterile.  

There are basically three equines in existence today - donkeys (including the wild ass and kiang), zebras, and horses.  A run-down of equine hybrid nomenclature:
Zebra/donkey    
Zonkey: Male zebra, female donkey
Zebrinny: Female zebra, male donkey

Zebra/horse
Zebrula: Male zebra, female horse
Zebrinny: Female zebra, male horse
    
Horse/donkey
    Mule: Male donkey, female horse
    Hinny: Female donkey, male horse

Donkeys were domesticated from the wild ass at about the same time as the horse, around 3000 BC.  The donkey is a smallish, but tough and thrifty little animal which has served humanity well throughout the years.  

Donkeys, known as "burros" in Spanish, have served us as pack animals for over five thousand years, from the ancient Egyptians to the coal mines of West Virginia.  Most donkeys have retained their primitive coloration, the dark dorsal stripe and cross stripe extending across the withers.  

Zebras on the other hand have never been properly domesticated, although not for lack of trying.  Individual zebras have been tamed to a certain extent, although a zebra's natural inclination to panic makes it a difficult mount at best.  

One obvious exception to this rule is the female zebra who played the part of Mr. Ed, on the 1950s television show of the same name.  Amelia was a trained zebra living in the Jungleland Animal Park in California, who was slotted into the show after its original star (an actual horse) refused to perform on camera.  

On the black and white televisions of the time, it wasn't possible to tell the difference between a zebra and a horse.  Mr. Ed's true nature remained an open secret in Hollywood until fairly recently.  (Or… maybe not.)