Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-09
HYBR|DS DOING WELL
"Zebroid" FoaIs a Success at
Experiment Station.
HARDY LITTLE FELLOWS
Sired by Menelik's Zebra, by Texas
Burro Dams.
NOT so WILD AS FATHER
Expectation of Another Foal From
the Menelik Zebra and
Morgan Mare.
g0r so WILD AS FATHER

Abyssinia presented q fine zebra to the
then President Roosevelt he probably
| thought that he vas just making a pres
emit OF courtesy. He probably did not
imagine he vas making an opening for
| the Introduction Of q new domestic ami
| NAL in the United States. Potentates
from time inmemoriaI have been fond
OF giving wild animals as presents to
each other. 1t was habit that obtained
in ancient Greece and Rome and has
been maintained to the present day
among barbaric rulers For one thing
wild animal presents frequently represent
| a sacrifice OF human life in the getting.
| they are unique and curious. and usually
they are about as useful as a silver.
plated cake basket among the wedding
presents.
However. President Roosevelt was
uttlltarfan as well as an idea1ist, and in
| stead Of sending the zebra to the Zoo to
be rubbered at by the curious and then
| to die OF Atrophy of the liver from over
eating and laziness, he sent him out to
the experiment station OF the Agncul-
tural- Department at Bethesda, where DR..
Melvin OF the bureau OF animal industry
and some OF the other animal. breeders
thought there might be something made
| out OF . cross between the zebra and
| some OF his domesticated kinsmen.
Now Five "Zebroids."
After some years a new hybrid foal was
| born the progeny Of the Menelik zebra
and one Of the female burros at the ex-
pertinent station. 1t was not long before
there were others. and there are now five
''zebroids, as they. are called, in all
stages Of development from six-month-old
youngsters to fellows year and a half
old.
The Star had a story about the first
! zebroid colts when they were born, but
of course 1t was not known then how
| they were going to develop. They have
developed beyond the hopes of the OFF,
Gals, AID while there is no need to
prophesy a revolution in draft animals
or to look for xebroids hitchef to car
riages as common sight on the street,
1t is thought that new and useful animal
has been produced and that the strain is
likely 10 persist.
The Menelik zebra, who is the sire OF
the larger colts. is scientifically a Greavy
| zebra. He is almost white in ground
work with heavy black stripes as regular
as though they had been put on with
stencil. And vicious: 1t would be lit
tie more than q mars life was worth to
go In the corral with him. His Highness,
who is called impartially His Highness
| and Dan, has a great habit of coming to
the wire and board fence Of his Enclosure
| and sticking his head through up to his
eyes and trying to entice the unwary
| visitor near enough to take mouthful
of him. Ii he does not succeed in this.
and the visitor is always forewarned. ne
will fairly scream with rage when the
party moves out Of range.
Strangely enough the colts have APP
rarently none of this fiendish disposition
| The two older ones are now a year. and
a half old. They weigh about 600 pounds
| each and probably will be as heavy or
heavier than their father. who is about
| 500.
Mothers Texas Burros.
The mother in each case mas been a
| Texas burro, of which the station has a
number brought here some years ago
when there was some special serum In
| vestigation en- hand The burros are pa
tient, willing little beasts They have
been given better care and attention than
| they ever get in their native habitat and
| have grown q little larger than their
progenitors. though not much. There nave
| been a number of geld colts, all Of which
| have been trained to harness, and pair
| of them will do more work and eat less
| than a good work horse.
| Breeding them with the zebra was
| purely an experiment, but 1t seems TO
have been successful The colts are
handsomer and larger than their mothers.
| The dams are a light ash gray. but the
zebroids are something between a dun
and sorrel, with the black markings
of their sire. The black stripes are not
nearly SO pronounced as in the zebra but
they are all over the body. They are
most pronounced on the legs, which look
almost like zebra legs.
Powerful Little Fellows.
The most notable point in the hybrid.
however, is his size and conformation
The zebra sire is the most perfect, COM
pact, rounded and powerful fellow for his
size that it is possible to imagine. His
hoofs are proportionately not SO small as
a mules nor so large as horses, but
there is power and rounded energy in
every line of him.
| The zebroids, while not restless and
continually moving like the zebra. have
his shape and promise to have all of his
size. The two that are old enough to
have proved good drivers. They do not
eat much, and If they are anything like
kso speedy as the sire and so enduring as
| the dam they will be able to travel at
speed all day without ever showing 1T.
| One of them. particularly, is as in
euisitive as monkey and good natured
as dog. He wants to explore a visitors
pockets and take a perfectly friendly
bite out Of his shoulder, and generally
establish himself on terms of familiarity
1t has not been determined yet whether
the new hybrid is .infertile like the mule
or whether the strain will be self-per-
petuating This is a matter that is of
the greatest practical Importance, and
the answer is awaited with interest.
| There have so far been no hybrids be-
tween the zebra and any OF the mares
Fat the station, though there is some pros
pect of a foai from Jerry, another zebra,
and a very fine gray 'aea-bitten' mare
that is his constant companion. Jerry
| is wild enough, but he has not the innate
devltry of disposition that is shown by
the Menelik zebra. The big gray mare
and he occupy the same corral and the
friendship between them is very funny.
Ea ch thinks the other Is just about right,
and they stroll around arm In arm, or
rather shoulder to shoulder. cropping the
grass and daring any one to separate
| them. When they have been separated.
as has happened before now. each of
them Is miserable and nervous till they
are allowed to 60 in company again.
Expect Morgan Foal.
There is some hope Of getting a foal
from the Aepelik zebra and a Morgan
mare that is now at the station. If this
is done 1t Is apt to make the burro ze-
broids look like counterfeits. The De-
partment Of Agriculture found some years
| ago that the Morgan strain was in danger
| Of disappearing and 1t collected some of
I the best specimens it could find and has
been ever since breeding them up.