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Saving Zelda the Zonkey
#1
Sometimes stories have happy endings. A Nova Scotia student was checking out websites and saw Zelda the Zonkey. Zelda was destined to be sold to a slaughterhouse. Ashleigh Benton got busy and sent word that she would buy Zelda and fundraised so she could bring her to Canada.

http://news.google.ca/news/url?sr=1&ct2=...t=2&at=dt0

It is sad that we can't save all the animals that are out there, but sometimes we can save one. Zelda is a symbol of all the other horses that were produced only to be sent off for slaughter at young ages without ever being given a chance.

Maybe others will be inspired by Zelda's story and rescue some of the others.
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Catherine

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#2
For a moment I thought "Zonkey" was a typo! Smiley4
But Zelda is a Donkey/Zebra cross breed of course!  What a marvellous thing Asheigh has done. Beautiful Zelda now has her life back, thanks to Asheigh's hard work.
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#3
I did a double take when I saw the article and then I realized what a zonkey is. I am looking at my keyboard and it would be an easy typo for me.

Zelda is beautiful. It would be tragic for her to have been deliberately produced only to be sent for slaughter. I doubt they would even have used her for food since donkeys and zebras are not used for meat.

How wonderful that people responded to help pay her way to Canada.

I hope the young woman is able to start a shelter/rescue some day. Horses are so vulnerable to abuse and there are so few rescues for them.
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Catherine

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#4
Asheigh must have had the right idea about how to run a proper fundraiser. I hope she will get the full amount she needs. It looks like she will, from the response.
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#5
A touching story of a determined young lady who saved this delightful looking zonkey. Good find.

This also shows how crowdfunding can be genuine and can do great work to save animals. It is sad that many people have become sceptical because of the numerous scams in fundraising. That makes it harder for the genuine cases. I'm so glad that she has raised the money.

Catherine, do you know the background to the story? Who raised the zonkey in the first place? Why was it listed on a Facebook page as due for slaughtering? Did the original "legal owner" (I hesitate to call such a person a caretaker) no longer want Zelda and thought the slaughter house was the only option?
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#6
I had a little look round, LPC, but couldn't find any details about anyone who was her caretaker prior to her being in the New Jersey lot, waiting for slaughter. It was an animal rescue who ran the auction for her (I think) But there weren't any bids, so that is why Ashleigh stepped in. Bless that lovely young woman!

She was described as "semi-wild" so perhaps someone bought her some time ago, and maybe she was just turned loose in a field/spare ground? But from that, it doesn't sound as if she had a lot of human company.
However, from the pictures, Ashleigh obviously has a way with her.
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#7
I don't have a back story on Zelda. There probably are very poor records. How many people out there are breeding donkeys and zebras?
I think the animals are shown on the web site in hopes that someone will save them from slaughter.

Ashleigh ran a very simple fund fund raising page asking for help to bring Zelda home. She ran it locally. Maybe that is how you know her cause is real. She didn't over dramatize it or make it more than it was. The scams always make it an emergency and they desperately need help or else and they are trying to save all the animals. Ashleigh just needed a little help to bring one Zonkey home.

Even if Zelda is semi wild she will bond with Ashleigh and it will be a good friendship. I don't think you can ride a zonkey anyhow.
I know zebras don't work for riding. I may be wrong. Could you ride a donkey zebra cross?
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Catherine

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#8
Can you ride them? Gosh I don't know. That might depend on the structure of their backs (surely not more sensitive than a Donkey's?....but I don't really know.) It would definitely depend on the bond between rider and Zelda, and on the saddle etc used. And the weight of the rider for her.
It probably would be possible....at a good guess. So long as Zelda didn't mind.
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#9
Zebras are not used for riding so I wonder if a zebra cross could be ridden. How strong are donkeys for ridding?

Of course there is a Wikipedia article on the subject.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...iYazNsAb7w

Now that we know all about zebroids, I have to wonder why they thought to produce them.

I am sure Zelda will be happy to be loved and cared for. Ashleigh will be happy with her no matter what. I wish someone could save the rest of the horses.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

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