Penza zoo authorities request for donations to buy a mate for ‘Martin’, a rare Chapman’s zebra.
Penza zoo authorities request for donations to buy a mate for ‘Martin’, a rare Chapman’s zebra.
BY Flemming Emil Hanson, Dec 30, 2020 — PENZA, Russia – The ‘world’s loneliest zebra’ needs a girlfriend! Yes, you heard it right.
A campaign has been launched to gift the world’s loneliest zebra — Martin — a girlfriend after living alone in a Russian zoo for eight years.
The Penza zoo, located in the western Russian city of the same name on Sura River, houses several other animals from exotic to ferocious, but Martin is special as it is the only Chapman’s zebra in the zoo.
There are three species of zebra — Plains zebra, Mountain zebra and the Grevy’s zebra. The Chapman zebra is a subspecies of Plains zebra and among the few mammals that cannot see the colour orange.
Found mainly in eastern and southern Africa, this species of zebras is now extinct in Lesotho, Burundi and Somalia, with numbers elsewhere down by 25 percent due to human activity, emphasizing the importance of keeping the species alive in captivity.
Chapman’s zebra are highly sociable animals with a life expectancy of 30 years. They live in herds of tens of thousands. But, Martin has been on his own since early 2013 when the other remaining Chapman zebras at the zoo died. He will be 10 years old in 2021.
Organizers of the campaign said the chance to buy a female comes only once a decade as Chapman zebras are extremely rare in zoos.
“For several years now, we have been looking for a girlfriend for Martin, but there are very few Chapman zebras in zoos,” said the campaign spokesman at the zoo.
“And now, as New Year and the time of special New Year wishes arrive, we have learned that there is an opportunity to acquire a young female zebra — a real beauty!
“A chance that comes once a decade! A chance to make our Martin happy for the rest of his life!”
They have found a suitable female to buy, but they cannot afford the RUB 1.5 million (GBP 15,000) price tag, so a campaign has been launched to raise funds.
The female zebra is reportedly available in Australia.
So far, only RUB 36,950 (GBP 370) out of the required 1.5 million has been collected. Donations can be made at www.zoo-penza.ru.
It is important to maintain the pure breed of Chapman’s zebra. In the wild, there are instances of cross-breeding of zebras. Zebras are known to breed with other subspecies of zebras and also with horses, ponies and donkeys. The offspring of zebras and horses are called zorses. The offspring of zebras and ponies are called zonies, and offspring of zebras and donkeys are called zebrasses or zedonks. However, these offspring are sterile like the mules.
The zoo authorities have requested people to come forward for donations.
The picturesque location of the zoo, dotted with the beautiful natural landscape, lush greenery, ponds and reservoirs, hills and meadows, leave visitors in awe.
Spread over an area of 9.8 hectares, the zoo houses 197 animal species such as Amur tiger, Ceylon leopard, Siberian lynx, Polar bear and Polar wolf, Green monkey, Paraguayan anaconda, Striped king snake, Jellus, spotted Eublefar, pond slider and 267 species of plants.
It is an absolute treat for visitors to experience the varied flora and fauna in the zoo and get familiar with some of the rare animal species which are on the verge of extinction. The zoo also organizes various educational events such as traveling exhibitions and charity events for visiting the zoo, charity excursions, and leisure for older people and people with disabilities. Every year, 2,000 people visit the zoo for charity. It also offers pets for sale and purchase.
(Edited by Megha Choudhary and Shirish Shinde)
(Edited by Megha Virendra Choudhary and Shirish Vishnu Shinde)
