Zee the Zonkey

We were asked to take Zee as the woman who saved him has serious medical issues and needed to find him a safe spot to land. She wanted him to have the best and Skydog can give that to him. He’s an incredibly interesting case and will help us educate and raise awareness about why this hybrid should never be bred.

Like all zonkeys, Zee is a cross between a zebra and a donkey. They tend to lean to the wild side of their DNA. Consequently, they don’t make good pets and are often discarded in kill pens. Through no fault of their own, they can be very confused, unhappy, dangerous, unpredictable, and untrainable. They are also “exotic” animals and their veterinary bills are huge. 

Zonkeys need to be handled like the wildest horses with a hydraulic chute for the safety of all involved. We have several zonkeys living wonderful lives in Oregon, where we can give them the space and freedom they need to thrive.

Meanwhile, in Malibu, we opened the gate for 3yo Ziggy the Zebra to meet 9yo Zee. They're having fun, but can get pretty rough with each other. We monitor them closely while they play and then separate them to be sure no one gets hurt. It's extraordinary watching them together with their striped bottoms and mohawks. 

Zee’s story is amazing and we will update this page soon with more details about him. Already we can see he’s a character. We’ve never seen an equine sit like a dog the way Zee does. It’s a signature move and we can’t wait to see what else he has up his striped sleeve!

#skydogzee

American Mustangs and Burros Need Your Help

In addition to supporting our work by donating, becoming a patron on Patreon, or sponsoring a Skydog, there are several important pieces of legislation to protect American equines currently moving through Congress. It only takes a few minutes to contact your Rep and two Senators to urge them to support these bills. You can Contact Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121‬, submitting contact forms on their individual websites, or sending one email to all three simultaneously at www.democracy.io

Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act of 2025 (H.R.1661 in the House and S.775 in the Senate). This bill would amend the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, commonly known as the “Farm Bill”. There are several important provisions for animals in that omnibus federal law, including the Cat and Dog Meat Trade Prohibition Act. It is currently illegal to slaughter, transport, possess, purchase, sell, or donate dogs and cats, or their parts, for human consumption. The SAFE Act would extend the ban to equines and shut down the slaughter pipeline that sends some 20,000 American horses and donkeys to savagely monstrous deaths in foreign slaughterhouses every year.

The Wild Horse & Burro Protection Act of 2023 (H. R. 4356) The bill would eliminate the use of helicopters in rounding up wild horses and burros, and require a study into alternative methods for humanely gathering the animals.

Ejiao Act of 2025 (H.R. 5544). To ​​ban the sale or transportation of ejiao, a gelatin made from boiling donkey skins, or products containing ejiao in interstate or foreign commerce, which brutally kills millions of donkeys primarily for beauty products and Chinese medicine.

See our How to Help menu for other actions to ban zebra hunting at US canned hunt ranches and stop production of Premarin & other PMU drugs.