Colchester Zeedonk

I saw the three Colchester zeedonks with their mother, a black donkey, on many occasions; I never saw their zebra father. Consequently, since I didn't see the zebra myself, I can only go by what I have read (which is why I was careful to supply a reference).

The book I quoted, states the photograph depicts a Grant’s zebra x black Arabian ass hybrid at Colchester Zoo. This volume is the standard reference work on hybrid mammals, so I assume that this information is accurate. (However, as per our recent exchange on black rhino parentage, even the best books have errors; no book is perfect.)

I do agree that the striping pattern looks more reminiscent of a Grevy’s zebra.

It is, perhaps, worth mentioning that Professor J. Cossar-Ewart was especially interested in zebra hybrids and bred a number of hybrids between a male Chapman’s zebra “Matapo” (that he purchased from Antwerp Zoo) and various ponies. Interestingly, Cossar-Ewart commented that the stripe pattern on some of these Chapman’s zebra x pony hybrids was much more like the stripes on a Grevy’s zebra than on their Chapman’s zebra sire. (Reference: “The Penycuik Experiments”; Cossar-Ewart; 1899.)

Neither did I...

This information is very interesting to me. I had always rather assumed it was a Grevy male but this makes more sense on several counts;
1. The disparity in size between the parents for successful mating would be less.
2. A common zebra male is much more likely for Colchester to have owned in those days.
3. The leg stripes on the hybrid(s) were possibly more like a Grants.

I remember the striping pattern on all three hybrids was very similar, though their ground colour was different, one was blackish, one was greyish, one was sandier- basic donkey colours obviously inherited through the mother. (I don't know which one was 'Shadow but she wasn't the one with the blackish face).

Attached is a scan of a Colchester postcard which I have always presumed to show the parents of the hybrids - the zebra is clearly a Grant's.

That pretty much clinches it for me.

I'll have to keep an eye out for this card now.

Me too.

Thanks for the scan, Rob; I've never seen this image before (although I do have a postcard depicting one of the hybrids).

I have the one with a leafy branch in its mouth.. plus one other of a Grant zebra(mother?) and Zeedonk at the defunct Causeway Safari Park in Antrim.

Yes, that’s the Colchester zeedonk postcard I have.

I also have postcard of a mountain zebra mare with her hybrid foal (father was a Somali wild ass) at London Zoo (circa 1911) and an old (probably pre First World War) postcard of a zebra hybrid at the old Halifax Zoo.

I’ve never seen the Causeway Safari Park postcard you mention.

Incidentally, on the subject of postcards depicting hybrid equids, does anybody know if Chester Zoo issued a postcard of the Grevy’s zebra x horse hybrids that were in the collection for many years? I’ve never seen a postcard featuring them, were there any?

I don't have the Mountain zebra x Somali ass mother & foal postard you mention, but I've seen it- the foal is very pale/nonstriped.

I doubt Chester ever produced any cards of their 'Zebroid' hybrids- they weren't exactly a high profile species for them. Did you know they were deposited(temporarily) at Chester by a circus- which never collected them again?

Paignton also had a zebroid x at around that time- it was labelled 'equine hybrid' but I never saw it properly and I don't know its exact parentage.

Some years ago I had some very helpful correspondence with Chester Zoo on this subject. I learned that the Grevy’s zebra x horse hybrids arrived at the zoo in 1957; that one died in 1977 and the other in 1987.

Many thanks, Pertinax, for the information that they were deposited by a circus and never collected. Very interesting; I did not know that.

I never saw the zebra hybrid at Paignton; it had gone before my first visit there. I have read, though, that is was a Grevy’s zebra x donkey hybrid.

That would figure. The only time I saw it I do remember it was standing in its indoor area and I could only see its rump- which definately bore Grevy-like markings. But after the recent discussion about how Grants zebra can produce Grevy-like stripes in hybrids, I was no longer sure.