A Zebra & Donkey Fell In Love, Gave Birth To A ‘Zonkey’ In Africa, See Pics

The beautiful creations of mother nature can sometimes be very surprising for humans. Whether it is the aurora borealis or the magnificent blooms of pink jellyfish, nature is incredible. One such example of an unexpected miracle is when a zebra mated with a donkey to give birth to a ‘zonkey’, that’s a mule hybrid of both the species.

Explaining how it all went, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, wrote in their report, “Last May, the SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit received a call from the KWS Community Warden at Mutomo Station. A stray zebra that had ventured out of the Tsavo East National Park and into a community bordering the park. She made herself right at home there, becoming an honorary member of a local woman’s cattle herd. This situation continued for many weeks, until the story was aired on local media, and then our team was asked to help translocate the zebra back to a protected area.”

The zebra was, however, shifted to Kenze Anti-Poaching Team’s base in Chyulu National Park after the authorities were convinced that she has now become used to community life. The zebra made herself comfortable at her new abode and would frequently visit the water hole. The Kenze team would watch the zebra all these days.

Recently, they spotted the zebra with a little foal which looked unusual. Normally, the zebras give birth to offsprings with brown and white stripes which eventually turn black as they grow up. But the tiny foal was ‘suspiciously light on stripes and overwhelmingly tawny in color’ as reported by the wildlife trust.

It’s when they realized that the zebra has given birth to a ‘zonkey’. “During her time living within the community last year, she had obviously become acquainted with an amorous donkey. The zonkey combines the sturdy body of its donkey sire and the striped legs of its zebra mother, which makes for a striking creature. While it should otherwise lead a normal life, zonkeys are mules, meaning that it will be unable to successfully breed once it reaches maturity,” the report stated.

Mother nature and her breathtaking creations sometimes make my heart skip a beat and this cute little zonkey surely did it too. What about you?