Caregivers at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an animal rescue and rehabilitation organization, examined the foal and discovered it was a zebra-donkey hybrid, called a “zonkey.”
A zebra at the Chyulu National Park in Kenya was recently found with a peculiar-looking foal. Turned out she mated with a donkey and now has a "zonkey."https://t.co/Cq5kYdvcQL
— CNN (@CNN) April 11, 2020
"Working with wildlife, one learns to expect the unexpected," the rescue group said in a news release Wednesday. "Even the most seemingly straightforward story can eventually reveal its true stripes and end up surprising us all."
According to CNN, the zonkey's mother, which does not have a name, was a stray that strayed away from Tsavo East National Park and "made herself at home" and mated with a donkey.
Wildlife officials, knowing that zebra pregnancies last 12 months, were able to determine where the zebra was at the time of conception.
"The gestation period of a zebra is twelve months, so it's not difficult to connect the dots. During her time living within the community last year, she had obviously become acquainted with an amorous donkey," the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust wrote on its website.
The zebra and zonkey are "thriving" in their new habitat, CNN reported. The habitat does not have a lot of predators, and the animals have plenty of food and water.
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