RSPCA: ‘We take reports of animals being painted very seriously’
30-year-old Ant was covered in black and white stripes

By Stephen Hull


You’ve heard of mutton dressed as lamb – but donkey disguised as zebra?

A rescue donkey has been plunged into an identity crisis after an extreme makeover by pranksters.

Thirty-year-old Ant was covered in black and white stripes to transform him into a new type of beast.

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.’

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


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.

But today an RSPCA spokeswoman said animal graffiti is not amusing.

‘It's shocking people would think it was funny to spray-paint a donkey in this way. We take reports of animals being painted very seriously.

‘The paint can irritate their skin and affect their breathing.’

Sussex Police said they are investigating the incident.


source:dailymail