Zedonk & Zebret – Donkey Zebra Hybrids

Zedonk

Image from nyluke

Perhaps the closest in physical appearance of the equidae family, it makes sense that eventually the donkey and the zebra would be crossed. Here is a little information about resulting hybrids of the two.

Zedonk

Also called the zebras, zebronkey, zonkey, zebadonk, zebryde, zenkey, hamzab & zebrass the zedonk is a result of a zebra male & a donkey female.

Zedonk

Image from Squirmelia
This hybrid looks very much like a donkey with an overlaying striped pattern

Zedonk

Image from Carol Coleman
Almost all of them display leg stripes and clear primitive markings.

Zedonk

Image from Steven_Walling
This animal pairs the grace & speed of the zebra with the strength & tenacity of the mule.

Zedonk

Image from Stuff&MoreStuff
Popular in the circus, this cross provided the exotic stripes on an animal that could be managed.

Zebret

The zebret is the result of a donkey male and a zebra female. This cross is very rare to find, so rare in fact that I couldn’t find an image of one. If anyone has one they’d like to share, please get in touch.

More to Come

This isn’t all of the zebra hybrids, they have been crossed with horses to create new creatures as well & I’ll be providing the lowdown. Until then be sure to meet all of the members of the Zebra, Equus & Asinus genus in addition to the most common donkey breeds

8 Comments on “Zedonk & Zebret – Donkey Zebra Hybrids

  1. John

    Do you have any information on a Zebra/Donkey hybrid crossing with a horse or pony? A friend of mine recentley had a pony mare have a foal who they thought was going to be out of a pony stallion but the baby has the long ears and some evidence of striping on the legs. She told me that they had a Zebra/Donkey hybrid male that had gotten in with the mare but they did not think that it would have got her bred. Is this common?

    Reply
    1. Jackie

      Well it’s also because a couple of reasons. One, some zebra specious are on the endagered list, and if they’re going to breed them to a non Zebra, they’d spare a stallion that breed with a lot of mares, where a female Zebra could only carry one foal each breeding season. Also, if the mother is domesticated, rather than a wild Zebra, the foal will be easier to handle cause he learns habits from his mother.

      Reply
  2. Lisa McDonald

    Very nice article! You can clearly see the differences in striping pattern and conformation between the zedonk from a plains zebra sire #2 and #3 and a Grevy zebra sire #1, #4, and #5. Check out more info about zebra hybrids on The American Donkey and Mule Society website. There is actually quite a bit of history behind breeding and using them.

    http://www.lovelongears.com/zorse.html

    Reply

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