Need a strong animal? Try hauling with 1912′s strongest zebronkey

Zebronkey in 1912

Zebroid hybrids show the surprising number of things a zebra can breed with. Zebras have been crossed with horses (called zorses) or ponys (zonys). But it’s the zebronkey that’s most elusive.

There’s no official name for the zebra-donkey hybrid, and attempts range from zebronkey to just about anything you can make up (zonkey, bradonkey, etc). Like a mule, the zebronkey is sterile, so they’re the one-time result of a rare cross between a donkey and a zebra. However, the difficult of getting a zebronkey doesn’t mean they aren’t worth it.

This picture of a zebronkey comes from a 1912 expedition to Kenya. Not only did the zebronkey impress visitors, but the photographer called it “the strongest beast in Nairobi.”

Today’s zebronkeys are less likely to be used in hard labor and more commonly born in captivity. Even now, however, the hybrid’s rare enough to attract attention, like the one recently born in a Mexican zoo. So far there haven’t been any reports about how strong a beast he is.

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