The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1893-11-03
ZEBRAS IN HARNESS.
Experiments in Demonstrating the
Queer Little Animals.
rhcy Ar. Thought to Re Better Than
S,uI.s for Certain Purposes I'm Al
rica-Correction OF a Mis-
taken Notion.


The prevalent notion about tue zepra
:. Tint II is so untamuble as to be OF no
,,ractical use to man. experiments
lboyv that this is an erroneous notion.
In u number of instances IT has been
reduced to docility in Europe, but no
attempt has been made To impress IL
into the scrviceablc bondage with
which we are familiar in the horse
That complete tractability for the pur-
pose of labor is not impossible, ana IS
indeed. hopeful, is being shown in the
Transvaal. where a firm engaged III
thc.coaching business between Pretoria
am 'ort Tuli, in Mashonaland, nave
actually eight zebras in harness ana
four OF them regularly employed III
drawing a coach. These animals were
caDturncd bv the laSSo, and IN teW
months four had been 50 trained that
they were perfectly quiet and wiling
in harness. while the others are becom-
in,r habituatcd to restraint and Will IN
time bc fully under control. H.
Stephens. who gives an account OF the
exp,riment in the Field, says MessrS.
Sccdcsberg are thus far satisfied ana
will cndeavOr To substitute ZebraS Tor
mules in dragging their coaches
These very graceful striped quadrupeds
orr no doubt flceter of foot than the
mule and perhaps rs swift as the horse
but there is an important superiority
over both that they possess. They en-
iov absolute immunity from that very
fatal aiImrut of South Africa vaguely
called horse sickness. which in Il single
nipht in low country kills horse or
mule turned out on the vcldt. The loss
from this cause is a heavy item in the
,vnenses of a south African livery
stable. II il found that the zebrS
does not kick and is gently amenable
To- the rein 10y having soft mouth. y
tendency 10 bite is the one vice they
have. but this they cease to practice
when not afraid of being hurt
II is the intention of the firm to at
tempt cross-breeding with horses The
result will bc awaited with consider
able interest. new hybrid of hope
ful stamina and qualities for harness
or the saddle may confidently be eN-
pected, and perhaps the somber un-
couthncsS of the cross between the
horse and ass will be overcome and re
placed by graces of form and charms
Of color. II seems strange that II
should be left until to-day To essay the
domcstication of the zebra. The horse
and ass have So long been pressed into
service that the original habitat of
both i disputed. They either come
from Asia or Africa. But the fossil
horse is also found in America, and
some of the types go So far back in
geological time aS To suggest that the
horse had its origin ON the American
continent But when Columbus land
ed the horse was unknown and all the
troops of wild courscrs have descended
from dOmcSticatcu precuS winch have
escaped from control. South Africa
produces not only the zebra, but the
quagga and the dauw. congcncrs
which might also prove OF use in cross
ing. Both have been domcstica ted
but the experiment has not been ear
ried to practical utility. The oppor-
tunity to introduce the quagga as a
hybrid or pure bred has almost been
lost. as the animal is either extinct or
very scarce. The dauw is adapted to
life on the plains and still roams in
great herds north of the Orange river.