It is interesting. I might think it but wouldn't take the time to look it up.

I just got the new issue of National Geographic yesterday and the cover article is actually about domestication of animals. Zebras are listed in the article as being unsuccessful to domesticate... foxes have been easy. They have been working with foxes for decades and now have a group that are as friendly as lap dogs!

It's interesting, but a long read. I'll bet they have a copy of the magazine at your local library Dotmom.

dotmom - I too look things up that interest me on google - why look it up??? Why not? I love have information at my fingertips literally... ...something that we didn't have until the computer/google age...

Dotmon,

You are correct that they have never been able to domesticate Zebras, but they have cross bred Zebras with Donkeys. When a male Zebra is crossed with a female donkey it is called a Zedonk and when a male Donkey is crossed with a female Zebra it is called a "Donze"

The animal which results from the cross breeding is sterile just like when they cross donkeys and horses to make mules so they cannot reproduced.

They are often kept at zoo's and petting zoo's in the U.S. but according to the director of the zoo here, they are commonly used as pack animals in southern Africa.

Here is a picture of a Zedonk that I shot at a local petting zoo.

Not far from us on one of the horse ranches they have 4 zebras. Last time we were on that road they were close to the road so Harry pulled over and I "talked" to them. They were very curious and came right over to the fence. They may have been one of the blends Nicole listed, because they were brown and white. I thought zebras were black and white.

They are just the cutest things!!

I love your inquiring mind Dottie! LOL

So they are more stubborn and mean than donkeys? Donkeys are notoriously stubborn I believe.

Lazypup, I had no idea that Mules can't reproduce. The things we learn here at the KT.

There was a question about this in last Sunday's Parade section. You may have seen it and not thought about it at the time. The question was asked of Marilyn vos Savant in her weekly column, I believe. She said that they are mean, and aim to kill. Yikes!! A neighbor has a zorse, which is a mixture of zebra and horse. That thing is mean, I think she regrets buying it. She went all the way to Montana to buy it.

I think this is interesting. It just seems that zebras should be be able to be tamed. They look so much like animals we use, like horses, mules, donkeys.

I don't know what I would do with this PC because of my curiosity. I wonder about everything, especially misconceptions and myths. I see the same M & Ms passed down and spread through the years. I also research all of my meds. When I watch a movie or read a book something always peaks my interest so I google it. It's just to bad I didn't have this when I was a young woman I would have been able to remember most of what I google. LOL

Well, that explains why with all the zebras in Africa, eveyone still walks.

Ron

thank you! another bit of info that will get tucked away!

Another thing is that zebras' backs and hindquarters are too weak to carry a rider.

Linda weak backs are what I was told when I was there. One night while we were all sitting around the campfire we heard noises that sounded like a strange barking. Our guide said it was Zebras and something was after them. We got very quiet until it stopped. We were happy the next morning because we didn't find any remains. He also told us that in the herds there will be a lead Zebra that will distract a lion or whatever and sacrifice himself if necessary.

Interesting. I like learning things. One of things about the internet I so enjoy. In the middle of the night can check on the TV logs, get info on a movie, news or weather or look for some entertainment. It's good to keep the mind active and working.

Personally I don't like the idea of domesticating all animals just to make pets out of them. Why does someone need a bear, tiger or anaconda as a pet anyway?

(and I'm leaving out the obvious reason of financial motives...)

It's too bad when man tinkers with nature, and breeds different animals to make a hybrid. The results usually are not as attractive as the way God made the originals. Zebras are such a pretty animal, why mess with perfection?

Dotmom:

There is absolutely nothing 'wrong' with your mind. What you are exhibiting is curiousity, and a health dose of it. It is by such inquiries that the human family has learned about its surroundings; It's a mark of a good scientist and/or obserer of nature. Almost all material in Psychology books start with the premise of "what if" followed by observational experiments designed to answer the question.

In nature, it is harder to answer some questions like "Why do zebra have stripes?" It does not help that the animal in question dos not speak our language, nor we theirs. Best educated guesses are posited and accepted if it seems to make sense by fellow practioners. As time goes by, some answers change when better ones appear.

Ahhh, but are zebras white with black stripes, or black with white stripes? ;)

I've wondered that myself (about the domestication) if only because they are so beautiful. At a petting farm once, we were told that zebras were not pleasant enough and that it has not been possible to "breed" that temperment out of them. The owner describes being bit multiple times by zebras her father had bred to keep on the farm, and even after a few generations they were never any more tame.

Dances.

Zebras are black with white stripes. If you shave a zebra the underlying skin is black.

Jasdip, as you may know Marilyn has 4 donkeys. She says they are actually not stubborn but they are caution. She says once they figure out what you want them to do they are very eager to please.

Linda

I grew up on a dairy farm in N.E.Ohio where we had 14 Belgian Draft horses, one team of mules, 3 donkeys and one riding horse.

Although we had a tractor we did neary all of our farm work with horses, mules and donkeys.

I was 5 years old when i began driving the draft horses and worked up from there.

While it is commonly believed that donkeys and mules are stubborn that is not true, they are just smarter than horses. If you overload a horse they will keep on trying to pull even to the point where they will injure themselves but mules and donkeys are smarter. They know what their limits are, and if you ask them to pull loads up to their limits they will work fine, but if you try to overload them as you might the horses, the mules and donkeys simply refuse until you lighten the load.

We visited a Zoo in Noval Scotia last summer, and a star attraction was a Zonkey, a Zebra/Donkey cross. It was very cute, looked like a donkey wearing striped socks. Seem to be pleasant enough in nature as well. The Zebras, Donkeys and the Zonkey all shared a very large space, which may have helped their disposition. I hate to see animals stuffed into a tiny little place.

what do zebras eat

I remember hearing at the Grand Canyon that the reason they use mules for that trek down (to Phantom Ranch?) is that mules can't be persuaded to do anything they don't want to do, and they really don't want to go over the edge.

I often wonder why horses let people ride them at all. I wouldn't like to have someone on my back jerking at my mouth. They could just throw us off and crush us but they don't. Zebras have to survive in a world of lions and leopards. They have to be tough.

Wow in one thread several of our lost friends. I miss them. So nice to see their names again. RIP

I know, Raven, I thought the same thing. Makes me kind of sad. Also, the people that no longer post makes me sad.

That factoid was interesting to me. I always thought of them to be very donkey like.