Stripes unplugged: Failed attempts to domesticate zebras

Once upon a time, there were attempts to domesticate zebras, but these efforts did not succeed. Zebras, part of the Equus genus and the subgenus Hippotigris, are hoofed mammals primarily found in the open plains of Africa, mainly south of the Sahara Desert. Their population currently ranges from approximately 660,000 to 1 million.

In the late 19th century, humans tried to domesticate zebras to ride and draft animals like horses. However, these attempts could have been more successful.

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Despite their resemblance to horses, zebras have unique behavioral and social traits that make domestication difficult.

Unlike horses, zebras are inherently wild and resistant to taming. They need help to easily follow commands, making them unsuitable for roles typically filled by horses.

Zebras have a complex social structure, with multiple females leading the herd while males wander nearby without straying far from the group. This intricate social dynamic primarily serves as a survival strategy against African predators.

Zebras also possess unique defensive mechanisms, such as precise kicking with their hind legs and aiming at threats by looking between their legs.

]Despite being robust animals, zebras are smaller than most horses, and their spinal structure is unsuitable for bearing human weight over extended periods.

As a result, attempts to train zebras for riding or work often led to physical and psychological stress for the animals and a considerable waste of time and resources.

Ultimately, humans abandoned these efforts, recognizing the impracticality of using zebras in the same way as horses.

In related news, four years ago, while the rest of the world fought COVID-19, Thailand faced an outbreak of African horse sickness.

The problem was severe enough that the Government of Thailand required all imported zebras to be quarantined and tested before entering the country. The same measures applied to horses.