Egyptian Zoo Claims Their Zebra is NOT a Donkey
If it walks like a zebra, brays like a donkey, is it a zebra? According to the director of the animal sanctuary located at Cairo’s International Garden municipal park, it is. The “zebra” was spotted by 18 year old Mahmoud Sarhan as its paint was melting on its face. He mentioned other characteristics that distinguish a donkey from a zebra, the size of its ears, the snout’s color (zebra’s snouts are all black, not striped), and the overall size of the animal. Sarhan posted a picture of himself and the donkey on Facebook and the post went viral.
The director of the sanctuary, Mohammed Sultan, denies that the zebra is in fact a donkey and claims the animals are well taken care of. According to a CNN article, PETA disagrees that the animal is being well taken care of. PETA’s Vice President Delcianna Winders told CNN, "No reputable animal care facility would subject a skittish animal like a donkey to the stress of being restrained and sprayed with chemicals like paint, which could cause a painful allergic reaction, and PETA hopes that Cairo authorities are fully investigating this matter,".
Surprisingly enough, this is not the first time that a zoo tried to sell a donkey as a zebra. According to CBS, a zoo in Gaza attempted the same trick in 2009. In 2013, a Chinese zoo tried to pass off a large dog as a lion.
While this could be considered a laughing matter, it isn’t quite as funny to the patrons who felt cheated out of their money and the poor animals.
