CAIRO: In a bizarre turn of events, a zoo in Cairo has been found out trying to pass off a donkey as a zebra by painting stripes on the animal, but the manager insists it is the real thing.
Visitor Mahmoud Sarhan said he was at the recently-opened animal sanctuary at the International Garden municipal park when he spotted a “strange looking animal.”
In the heat, the black paint had dripped down the donkey’s face and the ears were not the correct shape for a zebra, he said. He then posted a picture on his Facebook page, and it has since gone viral.
He wrote in Arabic: “The stupidity has reached new heights in this country — they brought a local donkey and painted it to look like a zebra.”
The director of Gardens Project in Cairo, Mohammed Sultan, has rejected claims that the animal is actually a donkey.
“The zebra is real and not painted,” Sultan told Egypt’s Youm 7 news channel. He added that the animals are well taken care of and are inspected regularly to ensure their welfare.
However, a leader at animal activist group PETA Foundation disagreed.
“No reputable animal care facility would subject a skittish animal like a donkey to the stress of being restrained and sprayed with chemicals like paint, which could cause a painful allergic reaction, and PETA hopes that Cairo authorities are fully investigating this matter,” PETA Vice President Delcianna Winders told CNN in a statement.
Cairo zoo accused of trying to pass off donkey as ‘genuine’ zebra
Cairo zoo accused of trying to pass off donkey as ‘genuine’ zebra
Paraplegic engineer first wheelchair user to blast into space
- An ecstatic Benthaus said she laughed all the way up — the capsule soared more than 105 kilometers — and tried to turn upside down once in space. “It was the coolest experience,” she said shortly after landing.
WEST TEXAS: A paraplegic engineer from Germany blasted off on a dream-come-true rocket ride with five other passengers, leaving her wheelchair behind to float in space while beholding Earth from on high.
Severely injured in a mountain bike accident seven years ago, Michaela Benthaus became the first wheelchair user in space, launching from West Texas with Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin. She was accompanied by a retired SpaceX executive also born in Germany, Hans Koenigsmann, who helped organize and, along with Blue Origin, sponsored her trip. Their ticket prices were not divulged.
An ecstatic Benthaus said she laughed all the way up — the capsule soared more than 105 kilometers — and tried to turn upside down once in space. “It was the coolest experience,” she said shortly after landing.
The 10-minute space-skimming flight required only minor adjustments to accommodate Benthaus, according to the company. That’s because the autonomous New Shepard capsule was designed with accessibility in mind, “making it more accessible to a wider range of people than traditional spaceflight,” said Blue Origin’s Jake Mills, an engineer who trained the crew and assisted them on launch day.
Among Blue Origin’s previous space tourists: those with limited mobility and impaired sight or hearing, and a pair of 90-year-olds.
For Benthaus, Blue Origin added a patient transfer board so she could scoot between the capsule’s hatch and her seat. The recovery team also unrolled a carpet on the desert floor following touchdown.
