When a horse breeds with a donkey, it's called a mule. But what happens when a donkey breeds with a zebra?
Contrary to popular belief, zebras are not horses, but instead evolved alongside their close cousins (both belonging to the family Equidae and the genus Equus) millions of years ago. There are eight sub-species of zebra, and now there is a new hybrid to add to possibly add to the list: a zonkey!
A new baby zonkey was born in a Florence, Italy animal reserve on Monday, a cross between an endangered donkey breed from Amiata and a zebra that was adopted by the center after being rescued from a failing zoo. Many of the animals that live in Florence's animal reserve owned the Aglietti family had been seized from private zoos across Italy by police, including a camel, parrots and a racehorse that were destined to be butchered.
The baby zonkey's name is Ippo, and animal reserve owner Serena Aglietti told ANSA English that "Ippo is the only one of his kind in Italy" and "a beautiful gift." The animal reserve has existed for half a century, with a current total of 170 animals including camels, llamas, ponies, horses, torks, emus, Tibetan goats, donkeys, a zebra, according to Firenze Today.
Other zonkeys exist in Germany, China and Georgia, though they are very rare.
The reserve managers explained that Ippo was not bred on purpose, but instead, he was the result of the female zebra's determination to climb over a fence and mate with the endangered male donkey. He will definitely be an attraction for the many school children that visit the reserve during the year.
Click here to see photos of the adorable new zonkey baby, Ippo!
