'Why are zebras bad at baseball?': Rare seized animals in care of Saskatoon zoo

It's a rare sight on the prairies, but the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo is hosting a small herd of five plains zebras.

They're here under unusual circumstances.

The Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety says the animals were seized from a rural property on June 13 as part of an investigation under the captive wildlife regulations.

According to the Ministry of Environment, those regulations are in place to protect native wildlife and ecosystems.

"Zebras have specialized care requirements," the statement reads.

"They have a short history in captivity and no adaptations for a Saskatchewan winter. Because they are large, strong wild animals, they could pose a risk to human safety if not housed and handled correctly. Additionally, some species of zebra are of conservation concern."

After they were seized, the zebras were transported to the only facility in the province licenced under Canada's Accredited Zoos & Aquariums (CAZA).

"When this situation came up, the provincial authorities contacted us and we're always happy to help out any way we can," said Jeff Mitchell, zoo operations manager. "These guys, we were able to bring them into a new facility, and give them a little better home."

The animals have been monitored closely and given a specialized habitat and diet.

"They're a little shy at first, just like moving to a new city or a new country, everyone needs a little bit to get used to it," said Mitchell. "But they're doing really well, they're adapting very well."

Since they're not built for Saskatchewan winters, they likely won't be here for good.

But staff say it's exciting to have animals that you normally wouldn't see.

"We're just working with provincial authorities to figure out what's going on," Mitchell said. "Once that settles, we'll look at our long term plan and whether it's best to find another facility in Canada, or in the U.S. But if we can make it work here, that's what we'll do."

While they're still shy and getting used to the attention, visitors to the zoo say the zebras are the highlight.

One boy had a joke prepared for the occasion.

"Why are zebras bad at baseball," asked Nathaniel, a zoo visitor. "Because three stripes and you're out."