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Culture War Roundup for the week of May 15, 2023

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did someone try breeding taller zebras, and failed even at that?

You can buy zebra semen, and the seller suggests that the stallion has qualities that are worth passing on:

Rarity is my 2004 Grant Zebra Stallion. Rarity has perfect big bold striping and very correct conformation. Rarity has a very rare temperament for a zebra stallion and is quiet with a sweet disposition. These are great qualities to pass onto his foals, making him the perfect stud for hybrid crossing.

They also control who gets to be bred:

Anyone who is interested in breeding both owner and mare must be approved first. I do NOT let just anyone breed to him.

They claim the stallion is particularly tame and that his temperament is hereditary.

This is the reason why we decided to breed with him, to create foals that also have his outstanding temperament. All our mares/jennies that we use for breeding to him have all been carefully chosen. They all have good temperaments and trainable minds.

All the people involved in horses are amazingly focused on the lineage of horses. This passes to zebra breeding, and people really care about which animal breeds with which, as they all believe fervently in selecting for traits.