Asses for Zebras

When the zebras at Gaza City's Marah Land Zoo passed away, there was very little prospect of finding a replacement---a sad commentary on how restricted and contrived everyday life in the Gaza Strip has become. The zookeepers, though, came up with the ingenious solution of having two donkeys stand in for zebras by painting them with zebra stripes. The fact that the acting zebras are still drawing the crowds suggests that the zoo is still more a source of entertainment (look, it's a zebra!) than a place for real learning (zebras are equine mammals which live on the African savannah and etc.)
On an off note, the Old Portuguese zevra, which gave rise to the zebra's name in English and many other languages, did mean "wild ass". So the choice of stand-in was perhaps not so inexplicable ...