Zedonk hybrid born at Georgia wildlife preserve

OUT OF THIS WORLD
July 28, 2010, 10:38am
A four-day-old Zedonk, a rare cross between a zebra and a donkey, stands next to her mother at the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve in Lumpkin County, Georgia Monday July 26, 2010. (AP)
A four-day-old Zedonk, a rare cross between a zebra and a donkey, stands next to her mother at the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve in Lumpkin County, Georgia Monday July 26, 2010. (AP)

DAHLONEGA, Ga. (AP) – A zedonk, an unusual cross between a donkey and a zebra, is attracting attention at the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve in Dahlonega after being born there about a week ago.

The animal, which has a zebra father and donkey mother, has black stripes prominently displayed on her legs and face.

C.W. Wathen, the preserve's founder and general manager, said the foal has a zebra's instincts. Wathen said she sits up instead of lying on her side, as if she's staying alert for predators.

Donkeys and zebras don't usually mate, but zedonks turn up occasionally.

Wathen said that in about two weeks, the zedonk will begin roaming the property with the rest of the animals.

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Tiger escapes from trip to the vet

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – A 17-month-old tiger escaped from the back of a pick-up truck while it was being driven to a veterinary clinic in South Africa, triggering a helicopter search by police and wildlife experts.

Owner Rose Fernandes told local radio Tuesday she had no idea how the 310-pound animal, called Panjo, had managed to spring a lock on the pick-up as it headed for a medical check-up in Springs, a town east of Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city.

She said Panjo was used to humans and told anyone who came across the animal to treat it "like a dog" by picking up a stick and saying "No" in a loud voice.

Giving it meat, especially chicken, would also be likely to keep it happy, she added.

Police were less confident about the big cat's passive nature, urging people living along the stretch of road where the tiger is thought to have escaped to keep their eyes open and report any sightings to the authorities.

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Lettuce lady arrested

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) – An animal

rights activist has caused a stir in Jordan's capital by covering herself in lettuce in a quirky attempt to persuade Middle Eastern meat lovers to go vegetarian.

Crowds quickly gathered to gawk at the lettuce lady, but police were not amused.

Officers briefly arrested the Jordanian activist, Amina Tarek, and a colleague from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The pair stood in a square along one of Amman's trendiest streets and held a placard reading "Let vegetarianism grow on you."

Tarek says she wanted Jordanians "to turn over a new leaf."

Police held them for three hours, saying they had not obtained permission for Sunday's protest. The activists say they had approval.

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Robber wears mask, gloves

CENTRAL FALLS, Rhode Island (AP) – A man wearing a surgical mask and medical-style latex gloves robbed a Central Falls bank.

Police said the man entered the Bank of America Branch Saturday morning, jumped the counter and grabbed some cash. Police said the man didn't show a weapon and apparently fled on foot.

Police haven't said how much money was stolen. The man was described as white, wearing a green polo shirt, tan shorts and black shoes.

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Police dog suspended

SUN VALLEY, Idaho (AP) — A police dog in the central Idaho resort town of Sun Valley is back on duty after serving a "suspension" for an unprovoked attack on a small schnauzer.

Sun Valley Police Chief Cameron Daggett says the 5-year-old German shepherd named Dax took a few weeks off the job after the incident. The dog will receive more training to prevent a reoccurrence of what Daggett says was an unfortunate situation.

Dax is a four-year veteran of the force. He is trained to find illegal drugs, missing people, and evidence at crime scenes.

On June 26, authorities say Dax attacked a schnauzer named Max. Max's owner says the city is paying the $600 veterinarian bill.

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A four-day-old Zedonk, a rare cross between a zebra and a donkey, stands next to her mother at the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve in Lumpkin County, Georgia Monday July 26, 2010. (AP)19.51 KB