A newly born Zedonk (this image is not the recently born one, but an image from a Google search).

Welcome a new zedonk to the world. Yes, this is for real. ”The offspring of a zebra and a donkey.” Prepare yourself for an even larger dose of absurdity: there are plenty more zany names for unlikely crossbreeds, and we’ve collected a nonsensical herd of them.

We don’t know if the baby zedonk, born in the state of Georgia about a week ago, has a name, but an Associated Press report notes that “donkeys and zebras don’t usually mate, but zedonks turn up occasionally.”

There is only once known instance of a zeedonk born to a zebra mother. (2005 in Barbados) Technically, that would be a zebrinny while the other way around, with a zebra dad, is a zebrula.

head view of a zedonk (again, this is not the recently born animal, but rather an image from a Google search)

A zebrula is “the offspring of a female horse and a male zebra.” A male horse and a female zebra? That’s a zebrinny. Any horse/donkey plus zebra hybrid is generally termed a zebroid. That’s less silly than zonkey, don’t you think?

When a donkey and a zebra become proud parents, their offspring is a hybrid, or crossbreed. Some biology sources define a hybrid as the product of two different species regardless of their biological kinship, whereas a crossbreed is the progeny of two animals within the same genus. The terms are often used interchangably. Hybrids tend to be sterile, which may explain why we don’t have the pleasure of seeing huge herds of zedonks roaming the plains.

The most common hybrid is the good old mule, “the sterile offspring of a female horse and a male donkey.”  A goat-sheep mix was born in 2000 and given the colorful name the “Toast of Botswana.”

Know your zonkey terminology or risk looking silly at the next garden party!

• Source: http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/zebra.html
• Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zonkey

From the Sunday Standard, article by Gowenius Toka

The Bridgetown project in Kazungula (or Kazangula) which is valued at P164 million has been hailed as a significant project that will complement Botswana’s employment creation and economic diversification efforts.

Vice President Mompati Merafhe said at the project’s ground breaking ceremony that Bridgetown has great potential to help turn Botswana’s vision into reality.

He said that Botswana aims to be economically stable and prosperous, and attain high income status within the next ten years.

“Government has identified the tourism industry as one of the engines of Botswana’s economic growth, with potential to provide employment and investment opportunities for our people,” said Merafhe.

He said that initiatives like Bridgetown, which are geared at improving the tourism sector, are therefore welcome and encouraging.

Bridgetown Resort (Pty) Ltd is a citizen owned company. The project will include in 92 luxurious and spacious self catering apartments, all fully furnished and equipped with the latest technology.
It will also have 74 two bed roomed apartments, and 18 single bed roomed apartments.
In addition, the resort will also offer shuttle services to neighboring countries such as Namibia, Zimbabwe Zambia and other tourist destinations in the region.

The project is expected to employ 54 people on completion.

Bridgetown Resort will not only create employment, but will also serve to improve the architectural landscape of Kazungula.

For his part Patrick Balopi, former Speaker of the National Assembly and one of the Directors of Bridgetown, said that they took heed of concerns made by residents during the Environmental Impact Study, and engaged in Kgotla consultative meetings, after which the project was given green light.
Such concerns included the need to observe protected archeological sites; ensure beneficiation to licensed citizen small tourist operators and guard against possible pollution of the Chobe River.
“We can assure you that Bridgetown has complied with all the necessary legal and policy initiatives related to this development. We achieved all these at a very heavy but necessary cost” he said.

He also acknowledged the support given by the relevant Government Departments throughout the planning and design of the project.

He said that Botswana needs to identify economic diversification opportunities particularly in areas with comparative advantage for citizens and local entrepreneurs.

Government spends more than P20 billion on goods and services per annum, and can therefore use the enormous purchasing power to drive economic diversification through procurement of locally produced goods and services.

In conclusion, Balopi said that he found it appropriate to encourage more Batswana to invest in tourism, which is the mainstay of the economy and a major source of employment.

Currently the tourism industry employs about 22 000 people. Of this number 16 000 are estimated to be employed in the Hotel and Restaurant sectors. The growth target indicates that 50 000 will be employed by 2015.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Secretaty birds are listed for sale at $2000. Credit Wildlife Extra

Secretaty birds are listed for sale at $2000. Credit Wildlife Extra $1,500 for a Zebra – Nile monitor $10 – Secretary bird $2000 November 2009. We were recently approached by a Tanzanian wildlife dealer, offering us an eye-wateringly wide range of species. Although it is not currently legal to import wild birds into the UK (This was not implemented with any thought for wildlife, but because of bird flu.), it is still legal in many countries. We were shocked and amazed by the species that are available.

To read the rest of the story (with complete price list), we send you to the link at Wildlife Extra news.

Flag of Botswana

Design and Explanation of the Flag of Botswana

The national flag, adopted in 1966, symbolically contrasted with the flag of neighbouring South Africa, where the policies of apartheid  were in effect. Botswana proclaimed in the flag’s central black stripe and its white bordering stripes a belief in racial cooperation and equality. The light blue background of the flag is associated with the sky and with water, a scarce and precious commodity in the vast Kalahari desert. The importance of water is also reflected in the motto that appears in the national coat of arms. The colours on the flag correspond to those on the national coat of arms. The blue represents water (the motto on the national arms is PULA, meaning “let there be rain”). The white-black-white bands depict the racial harmony of the people as well as the pluralist nature of the society. They are inspired by the coat of the zebra, the national animal.

Overall Flag width-to-length ratio is 2 to 3.

Five horizontal stripes having colour and width as follows, that is to say taken from the top:
1st Stripe – azure blue having a width equal to 9/24ths of the total depth of the flag.
2nd Stripe – white having a width equal to 1/24th of such depth.
3rd Stripe – black having a width equal to 4/24ths of such depth.
4th Stripe – white having a width equal to 1/24th of such depth.
5th Stripe – azure blue having a width equal to 9/24ths of such depth.

Related Links:

• Republic of Botswana web site
• Wikipedia link on flag

Click here to view the embedded video.

Another video by Earth-Touch.  This one has even more powerful footage and shows cape buffalo behavior very well.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For more information see:

• Earth-Touch

They have incorporated space for company logos and/or by-line (available for orders of 50+ ), This way our BirdLife Calendar makes an ideal marketing tool and end-of-year gift to suppliers and clients. BirdLife Calendars are ideal and practical souvenirs for visitors/tourists to take away either for themselves or as gifts.

Buying BirdLife Botswana calendars will contribute significantly to the conservation of our environment and preservation of one of Botswana’s most spectacular assets: its birds. Your support is greatly valued by Birdlife Botswana.

I haven’t personally seen the pieces in this article, but have keen interest in geting samples.  If I do I will give further details on quality.  For now, here is the critical link to see more about available sizes and costs.