zebedee the zonkey

Zebedee means “Gift of God” and he absolutely is one. An orphaned zonkey, his father was a zebra and his mother was a donkey.  Seeing the photo of this two-month-old baby all alone in a pen broke my heart. We just couldn't let him be passed around in the slaughter pipeline. He should still be with his mother, but he was taken off her. Allegedly, she’s in a safari park in Texas, but we were unable to track down any information on her. We called and emailed the safari park relentlessly, but after a week, had to accept that he was an orphan. Our attention turned entirely to making sure he has the softest of landings.

Zebedee was run through the Cleburne auction for a crazy high price. They used a bottle of milk as bait to make him follow along. When they didn't receive payment, he was run through a second time, for half as much, late at night. We sprang into action, paid his auction costs with our personal funds, and started fundraising for his haul, vet bills, and care moving forward. We got him over to Outlaw Equine Hospital to make sure he wasn't sick and was strong enough to travel. 

We always want our rescues to travel with a friend, but worried about exposing Zebedee to any illnesses once he was cleared by the vet. We decided to bring him to the ranch as quickly as possible, so Steven Egner, our wonderful hauler, offered to drive him in the back of his truck. With the camper shell on, he could watch him the whole time, keeping him warm and cozy as he drove through the night to bring our precious cargo home. He’s not yet halter trained, so when they arrived, Steve carried him to his new barn where his new friends were waiting.

Zebedee is feisty and will have Ziggy the young zebra, Boots the mini-mule, and Snowball the mini-pony for playmates. He loves his milk and is a big slurper, but also has access to orchard hay, alfalfa, mare and foal pellets. He’s incredibly gentle, but he does have a tendency to kick if he doesn't like something. We will start a little halter training soon to get him comfortable with it. Beginning the process of a regular and routine life will set him up for success later. 

He’s settling in nicely with Mabel the Donkey bunking right next door to his stall. She may play a very important role in his future as she's the most like his mother. Equine mothers teach their babies proper behavior in grazing, herd hierarchy, and play. They help them develop the fight or flight instincts that are essential for prey animals. The best thing for him is to be raised by Mabel and we hope she’ll take him under her maternal wing.

It’s very important to do all we can to avoid Orphaned Foal Syndrome as that can be debilitating later on. Lack of maternal interaction along with humans spoiling him can create behavioral issues, which would not do him any good. Orphaned foals can become overly attached to humans and lack respect for personal boundaries. He needs to learn appropriate ground manners and how to be an animal. We will switch him from a bottle to a bucket soon to make feeding less about a person.

We did things the wrong way with our first foal, Skye, who lost her mother shortly after she was born. She became very dependent on humans and somewhat aggressive as a result. We need to guide Zebedee in the right direction so this doesn’t happen. Don't worry, he will get plenty of love at his tender age. We’ve learned how to do this and take the responsibility very seriously. We’ve raised two well-rounded zebra foals, who are much harder, so a zonkey will be a breeze in comparison.

Like Pete the Zorse - a cross between a mustang and zebra - Zebedee will be pulled in different directions by the dual nature of his DNA. Pete spent time with donkeys and mustangs before running off with three of our wildest mares to embrace a truly wild life on the far side of Sheeps Rock. Zebedee will have a young zebra, dozens of donkeys, and a few zonkeys (not to mention mustangs) on his path to self-discovery.  He’ll have every opportunity to find his place, purpose, happiness, and fulfillment at Skydog.

As adorable and unusually beautiful as they are, breeding zonkeys is never a good idea. They come with their own set of expensive health issues and the zebra instincts usually win out. That leaves owners with a wild animal, not a pet, who will never be happy in captivity. Consequently, they end up in auctions and kill pens, where owners hope to make some money on their exotic appearance, cute foals, or hides. It’s a terrible wrong, but we are going to make it right for Zebedee and are in a unique position to do so.

#skydogzebedee

American Mustangs and Burros Need Your Help

In addition to supporting our work by donating, becoming a patron on Patreon, or sponsoring a Skydog, there is important legislation to protect American equines currently moving through Congress. It only takes a few minutes to contact your Rep and Senators and urge them to support:

Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act of 2025 (H.R.1661 in the House and S.775 in the Senate). This bill would amend the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, commonly known as the “Farm Bill”. There are several important provisions for animals in that omnibus federal law, including the Cat and Dog Meat Trade Prohibition Act. It is currently illegal to slaughter, transport, possess, purchase, sell, or donate dogs and cats, or their parts, for human consumption. The SAFE Act would extend the ban to equines and shut down the slaughter pipeline that sends some 20,000 American horses and donkeys to savagely monstrous deaths in foreign slaughterhouses every year.

You can Contact Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121‬, submitting contact forms on their individual websites, or sending one email to all three simultaneously at www.democracy.io

See our How to Help menu for other actions to ban zebra hunting at US canned hunt ranches and stop production of Premarin & other PMU drugs.

Bills from the previous 118th Congress that we hope will be introduced again this year:

The Wild Horse & Burro Protection Act of 2023 (H. R. 3656) This bill will prohibit the use of helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft in the management of wild mustangs and burros on public lands, and require a report on humane alternatives to current management practices.

Ejiao Act of 2023 (H.R. 6021). To ​​ban the sale or transportation of ejiao, a gelatin made from boiling donkey skins, or products containing ejiao in interstate or foreign commerce, which brutally kills millions of donkeys primarily for beauty products and Chinese medicine.