Eclyse: The Striped Dreamer of the Enclosure
Once upon a time, in a sun-dappled meadow at a peaceful horse ranch in Italy, a little zebra named Zara gave birth to a remarkable foal. Zara was a Chapman’s zebra, with elegant black-and-white stripes that shone like the moon on a summer night. Her partner was a gentle, brown-and-white horse named Cielo, whose warm coat was a stark contrast to Zara’s bold markings. Together, they created something extraordinary—a foal that would change the world, a foal named Eclyse.
Eclyse was unlike any other creature in the meadow. Her coat shimmered with the delicate blend of zebra stripes and horse hues. The soft brown of her horse father wove through the black-and-white stripes of her zebra mother, making her look like a living painting—an artist’s dream come to life. As she stood for the first time, her legs wobbled like a newborn colt, but there was an undeniable grace in the way she moved, as if she had inherited the spirit of both the zebra’s wild freedom and the horse’s steady calm.
In her early days, Eclyse played alongside the other foals in the meadow. The other horses and zebras watched in awe as she galloped across the open fields, her hooves drumming softly against the earth. She was fast, just like a horse, yet there was an untamed wildness in her movements, a rhythm that seemed to echo the rhythm of the savannah, like the very heart of the world was beating through her.
But there was something else about Eclyse, something magical. She was a dreamer. As she gazed up at the blue sky, she would often stand still, lost in thought, her ears flicking to the sound of the wind rustling the tall grasses. Sometimes, she would wander off into a quiet corner of the ranch, where the trees whispered secrets to her in the breeze. She could feel the magic in the air—the ancient connection between the land, the animals, and the stars above.
One crisp morning, a new adventure awaited Eclyse. The ranch’s owners had made the decision to send her to Safaripark Stukenbrock in Germany, where she could meet new friends and see the world outside her meadow. At first, Eclyse wasn’t sure about leaving the only home she had ever known. She nuzzled her mother Zara one last time and gave her father Cielo a soft, reassuring whinny. She knew they would always be part of her, no matter where life took her.
When Eclyse arrived at the zoo, she was greeted by a world filled with new smells, sounds, and sights. Her enclosure was nestled between tall trees and vibrant flowers, and there were other animals to meet—giraffes who stretched their long necks to nibble the leaves above her, and playful monkeys who would swing from branch to branch, chattering with excitement.
The humans who came to visit were enchanted by Eclyse’s beauty. They marveled at her rare markings and gentle eyes, fascinated by the way her zebra stripes seemed to change in the sunlight. Children would laugh and point as Eclyse galloped in circles, her hooves kicking up the earth like a rhythm of a wild dance. And at night, when the stars sparkled above the park, she would stand still, her eyes reflecting the twinkling lights, lost in dreams of the open savannahs and the endless horizons.
Eclyse had become more than just a unique animal; she was a symbol of connection—between the wild heart of the zebra and the gentle spirit of the horse. And in her quiet moments, when the world around her was still, she would close her eyes and imagine running free across a golden plain, where both horses and zebras could roam side by side, under a sky that stretched on forever.
And so, Eclyse continued to live in her peaceful enclosure, a living reminder of the beauty that comes when two worlds meet and create something entirely new. She was a dreamer, a wanderer, and above all, a beloved symbol of harmony between the wild and the tamed.
Picture taken 27 June 2007 and released by the zoo Safaripark Stukenbrock shows Eclyse, a crossbreed between a zebra and a horse, standing in an enclosure at the zoo, where it lives since three weeks. 14-months-old Eclyse was born in a horse ranch in Italy, her mother is a chapmann-zebra, her father a brown-white horse. (Udo Richter, Italy)
