Stralsund (dpa / mv) - In the Stralsund Zoo there were offspring for the first time in the rare Asinara dwarf donkeys. The foal was born at the end of September and is named Pepino, the city announced on Thursday. The animal is special because the dwarf donkey breed is threatened with extinction and there are currently hardly more than 100 animals worldwide.
"The commitment to the preservation of rare breeds of domestic animals is part of the brand essence of the Stralsund Zoo," zoo director Christoph Langner was quoted as saying. The two parents, Alba and Biscotto, were said to have come to the zoo two years ago.
According to the city, there are a number of stories about the breeding history of this breed, in particular how it came to be on the notorious prison island of Asinara in Italy. According to legend, the first donkeys came from an Egyptian ship that is said to have sunk near the island. Some animals would have reached the island by swimming and thus established the population, it said.
