A zebra hybrid has been born at a zoo in Lipetsk, Russia. The rare animal is the result of a donkey stallion mating with zebra mare.
The zebroid was born on Saturday, yet it is already standing firmly on its legs, photos from the scene show. The birth of such an animal is truly rare for Russia. So far, there has only been one famous zebroid in the country, which has been working in a Moscow circus.
The baby zebroid looks quite like an ass, it has large pointy ears and light brown fur, yet it boasts zebra-style striped legs.
The rare crossbreed was conceived by zebra called Vanda and a donkey called Zhorik. It’s quite unusual, since zebra stallions are normally used to breed zebroids through mating with any other equidae like domestic horses, donkeys or ponies.
The crossbreed offspring are significantly easier to tame and train than pure-breed zebras, and they are sometimes used as pack animals in African countries. They are also ‘wilder’ than plain horses and donkeys, therefore mounting one is not easy.
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