Zedonk Born at Chestatee Wildlife Preserve, Georgia (Photo)

by Amy Judd | July 28, 2010 at 08:53 am

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A Zedonk, Which is a Hybrid Between a Zebra and a Donkey, Has Been Born in Dahlonega Georgia

The baby Zedonk has black and white stripes on its legs like a zebra and a brown short-haired body like a donkey, and follows in the footsteps of other hybrid animals such as the liger and even the wholphin.

The baby foal was born one week ago and is said to be healthy and happy alongside its donkey mother.

Photo of the Baby Zedonk

"She's absolutely beautiful," said Alison Womack, a volunteer at the preserve, adding that the foal is "fabulous, healthy, doing well."

The new addition does not have a name although keepers are said to be considering Pippi according to ABC, after Pippi Longstocking and her famous stripped stockings.

Perhaps surprisingly, the little zedonk was not conceived on purpose. C.W. Wathen who runs the Wildlife Preserve said that the animals had always run in the same field together but he has never seen this happen before:

“The animals have been running (in the fields) together for more than 40 years, but this is the first time that this has happened here,” said Wathen, the preserve’s founder and general manager. “We never suspected that they (had mated), so it was quite a surprise when the zedonk was born.”

The baby is said to have some of the more wild zebra instincts as right after it was born she was on the lookout for predators.

The GainesvilleTimes reports that although this is unusual, it is not unheard of for donkeys and zebras to mate. The last one is reported to have been born in 2005 in Barbados.