Two Donkeys At Polish Zoo, Separated After Sex Scandal, Reunited

Two donkeys at a zoo in Poland are back together again after a sex scandal – of the equine variety – got them grounded from each other for a while.

Antosia and Napoleon have shared the same pen for ten years, according to NBC Washington, but were separated after parents were shocked – shocked! – to see the two donkeys having sex in front of impressionable little children.

After enough parents – who apparently expected animals in a zoo to not have sex with each other in front of their children – complained, local conservative politician Lydia Dudziak convinced the zoo to put the donkeys in separate pens.

The move was almost immediately met with condemnation, at least, after the laughing stopped, according to CTV News. Even the leader of Duziak’s political party thought the whole thing was ridiculous.

“It’s a level of absurdity… that has been crossed to such an extent that I don’t even want to read or know about this.”

And of course, whenever one political party does something stupid, the other party has to say “Neener! Neener!” even in Poland. Politician Stefan Niesiolowski offered the opposing party’s viewpoint rather succinctly.

“Animals separated by sex into different cages? It’s complete idiocy.”

The Polish zoo’s customers and donors were also taken aback by the lovelorn donkeys’ plight, starting a petition, which ultimately got over 7,000 signatures, to have the donkeys reunited. Two Facebook groups also sprang up, with 10,000 “Likes” (and plenty of photos of donkeys having sex) between them.

Ultimately the zoo, located in the Polish city of Poznan, reconsidered, and put the donkeys back together.

“It was never our intention for any animals to feel uncomfortable because of their natural behaviours.”

According to the San Diego Zoo, donkeys do not typically mate for life, but they are highly social animals, especially in captivity, and develop strong social bonds with both their human handlers and with one another. They can also develop social bonds with other animals; for example, according to this Inquisitr report, a depressed rhinoceros at a zoo in Tblisi, showed improvement after making friends with a donkey.

In their ten years together, Napoleon and Antosia have had six foals, including six-month-old Tadeusz.

If you are concerned about what to say to your kids on the off chance that they might witness donkeys, or other animals, having sex with each other at the zoo, Jonathan Link, medical writer for About Kids’ Health, has some advice:

Addressing animal reproduction first is a great way to introduce and reinforce sex education about people.

Do you believe the zoo was right to separate the donkeys to protect kids’ curious eyes? Let us know what you think below.

[Images courtesy of: Schnookie Muffin, Parent24, Holy Cuteness]