Sanda Shea, age 10, of Staten Island, New York, for her question:

Why don’t they ride zebras like horses?

Herds of handsome zebras live in the lion country of Africa. And hungry lions hunt them as their favorite food. The zebra can run faster, but sometimes he gets cornered and has to fight for his life. You might think that the little striped horse does not stand a chance against a lion. But the spunky little character kicks and bites with all his might. And sometimes he wins.

The zebra manages to survive in lion country because he is a bold, scrappy fellow and a fierce fighter. A character of this sort is not easily tamed. When captured, he makes it quite plain that he prefers his freedom. Reins and riders make him angry and when someone tries to ride him like a horse, he kicks and bites with all his might. There is a story of a man who was killed by angry zebras after he had killed one of his foals. Zebras are not reliable because they are not tamable