By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Back to black: Yard-hand Helen Bullimore said Ant has got the spring in his step back after getting cleaned up

A rescue donkey spray painted to look like a zebra has got the spring back in his trot after being cleaned up.

Ant was no doubt left confused after thugs broke into into Sussex Horse Rescue Trust in Uckfield and spent 20 minutes spray painting the hapless animal with black and white stripes.

At 30 years old Ant was a vicious target for the thugs as the paint left his skin irritated and sore.


White stripes: Ant the donkey has been transformed into a zebra after pranksters spent 20 minutes painting him

‘I noticed something was wrong when a zebra came in for a feed instead of a donkey,’ said Felix Green of the Sussex Horse Rescue Trust, in Uckfield, Sussex.
‘We did not see who did it so it must have happened sometime overnight. It must have taken the person who did it at least 20 minutes to paint it. He is not in pain but it really smells.’
Mr Green said another donkey, Pedro, had an ‘obscene image’ painted on his side.
He said: ‘We think they were targeted randomly as there are a lot of donkeys there.’


Traumatic experience: Ant was spray painted by vandals to look like a zebra, now he has been returned to normal

Painting donkeys to look like zebras has happened before.
In 2009, a zoo in Gaza found a clever way to beat Israeli restrictions on animal imports by dyeing two donkeys so they looked like zebras.
An RSPCA spokesman said the attack was not amusing: ‘It’s shocking people would think it was funny to paint a donkey. It can irritate their skin and affect their breathing.’
Sussex Police said they are investigating the incident.


Extreme makeover: While some may find Ant's new makeover amusing, the RSPCA has said it is a form of abuse which is not funny


Taped up: Palestinian zoo workers tape a donkey in order to paint it to look like a zebra because they cannot afford to buy a real one because of import restrictions


source: dailymail