A rare but incredibly cute zonkey has been born at a Kenyan wildlife reserve after a zebra mated with a donkey. The adorable little creature, spotted by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust at the Chyulu Hills National Park, is one of just a few of its kind and incredibly special!
It's a Zonkey! We've connected the dots…. or is that joined the stripes, as to the origins of this unusual character, born to a female zebra helped last year by our SWT/KWS Tsavo Vet Unit. Get the full story at https://t.co/FHCp1VyCuw pic.twitter.com/zrOww0cSHp
— Sheldrick Wildlife (@SheldrickTrust) April 8, 2020
- It has only a few stripes. The zonkey has stripes on its leg but the main part of its body seems to be a singular color. In other words, it’s taken a bit from each of its parents and really is part zebra, part donkey. “Working with wildlife, one learns to expect the unexpected,” a PR release from Sheldrick read. “Even the most seemingly straightforward story can eventually reveal its true stripes and end up surprising us all.”
- The zonkey’s mom is a recent addition to Chyulu National Park. She was originally a stray that wandered out of Tsavo East National Park and made herself at home with a group of cattle. When she was found by a team member at Sheldrick, they took mama to Chyulu where she soon gave birth to the unique little baby.
- Zebra pregnancies last an entire year! Finding out that zebras are pregnant for a full 12 months was a bit mind-blowing to me. That’s crazy! However, it means the little zonkey that was brewing in the mom’s belly was an unexpected but incredibly welcome surprise to the staff at Chyulu.
- While zonkeys are adorable, they do have one drawback. As Sheldrick explained, “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.” Aw, poor thing!
- The chances of a zonkey being born are pretty rare. Apparently donkeys and zebras have a different number of chromosomes so successful mating between the two is an uncommon occurrence. Just makes this little zonkey even more of a miracle!
