The wild is an intriguing place. There's so much we have yet to learn about animal behaviour. This recent bit of news will tell you why.

At Sheldrick Wildlife Trust people were in for a surprise when a zebra gave birth to a Zonkey, a zebra and donkey hybrid.

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

Explaining the entire incident and what could have happened, the trust wrote, ‘Last May, the SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit received a call from the KWS Community Warden at Mutomo Station. A stray zebra that had ventured out of the Tsavo East National Park and into a community bordering the park. She made herself right at home there, becoming an honorary member of a local woman’s cattle herd. This situation continued for many weeks, until the story was aired on local media, and then our team was asked to help translocate the zebra back to a protected area’.

By this time the zebra had become used to community life, so the workers had to choose a new place keeping that in mind. She was translocated to Kenze Anti-Poaching Team’s base in Chyulu National Park. The amiable zebra simply took off to the bush after waking up at her new home. She became a regular at the water hole and the Kenze team saw her frequently.

This year the the fence maintenance team at the enclosure saw the zebra with a tiny foal. It was only several weeks later that they could sight the pair properly and what they realised seemed bonkers!

Usually zebra foals are born with brown and white strips which eventually turn black. However, the foal with the zebra was ‘suspiciously light on stripes and overwhelmingly tawny in color’.

Initially the people at the enclosure thought that the foal had been playing around in mud but they they realised that the zebra had birthed a zonkey!

Sheldrick wildlife Trust

Zonkey is a very rare hybrid between a zebra and donkey. A zebra has a gestation period of twelve months. The workers tried to connect the dots as to how a zonkey could have been born.

‘During her time living within the community last year, she had obviously become acquainted with an amorous donkey. 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’.

Both the baby and the mother are healthy and thriving.

After being acquainted with this incident, can only wonder at the wonders of nature.