There is more to rescue stories than just cats and dogs. Oftentimes, there are a lot of people who work tirelessly to help whatever animals they can.
It doesn’t matter if they are wildlife or domesticated animals like pigs, horses, goats, etc. The main point is: this is often overlooked and doesn’t get enough credit.
All animals deserve to find help, and raising awareness about them is a great way to show people that one particular fact.
When this woman from Texas tried to save horses who needed her help, she stumbled upon something that shocked her completely.
A Cross Between What?
After Clare Staples came across a story about an animal who needed her help, she just felt horrible and realized that she had to do something to help.
The unusual animal was going to be sold on an auction house and then likely be hunted by trophy hunters. Clare didn’t want that, so she reacted.
But what is it? Well, the simple way to explain it is that it’s a cross between a zebra and a donkey: a zonkey.
I know, it sounds made up, right? Well, I looked it up and the term for this cross is actually real. This unusual animal is indeed a zonkey.
Clare tried to save the animal, named Zebedee. She saw how scared and lonely he was. He was just sitting in his pen and waiting for the day he would be sold.
Staples told The Dodo: “He touched my heart. In the end, by a miracle, we ended up rescuing him.”
After Zebedee was first taken to the sanctuary, Staples could easily tell how relieved he felt. She placed him between Mabel, who is a donkey, and Snowball, who is a mini pony.
Zebedee’s New Friends
The three of them formed a bond pretty quickly. In fact, Zebedee started seeing Mabel as his new mom and even tried to nurse from her.
Considering how young he was, his rescuers had to bottle-feed him and they did their best to make sure that he grew up to be strong and healthy.
The time at the sanctuary was changing him for the better. He was becoming really high-spirited and was starting to run around more.
The rescuers were really happy for him when they saw that Zebedee had zoomies for the first time along with Mabel and Snowball.
Staples said: “He will grow up knowing nothing but love and care.”
It’s really comforting to see that Staples is trying to give him the best future possible, and I sincerely hope that Zebedee gets to live the life that he wants.