Can zebras kill humans?

Yes, technically and practically zebras can kill humans. They have the weapon, their legs and hooves. But my research indicates that it must be exceptionally rare for a zebra to kill a human. In fact I cannot find a record of zebra killing a human using Google.

Zebra
Zebra. Image by kolibri5 from Pixabay .

They say that zebras can kick each other to death. And they can bite humans who approach too closely. There are records of zebras killing lions which is turning the predator/prey relationship on its head. Lions are often exposed to severe injury and sometimes death when attacking large prey animals.

Zebras are said to be unsuited to domestication but I guess it depends on how the animal was raised. Raise a newborn zebra as a member of the human family and I’d expect it to become a domesticated adult, even perhaps closely bonded to their human parents. But like all wild creatures, the wild remains inside.

Domestic animals such as the cat and dog have ten thousand years and more of domesticating behind them which has changed their characters.

Zebras are classified in the genus Equus (known as equines) along with horses and asses. In other words they are part of the horse family in terms of taxonomic classification.

Apparently it is legal to own a zebra in the US. If you are thinking of it I’d check with your local authority. The laws on owning exotic wild animals are complicated and they vary from state to state and perhaps municipality to municipality in the US. The only sure-fire way of finding out is to telephone and talk to the people in charge.

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