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Mujahid ibn Ali ibn Daud, (Rasulid Sultan): al-Aqwal al-kafiyah:

(Adequate Statements for Healing Horses) (d1362) Yemen

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Al-Malik al-Mujahid Ali b.Dauud b. Yusuf b. Umar (1306-1362). He was Rasulid Sultan of Yemen. The al Aqwal al-kafiyah wa-al fusul al-shafiyah was written by him. It deals with the habits, breeding and upkeep of horses and other domestic animals and provides valuable data for zoologists, breeders and owners. He tells a nice anecdote of zebras being imported from Mogadishu and trials to domesticate them.

Taken from: Mamluks and Animals: Veterinary Medicine in Medieval Islam by Housni Alkhateeb Shehada

 

 …wild donkeys…and the Farra (=run wild) zebra, which is given to us from the land of Mekdho (Mogadishu) and other places.

They create strange and exotic colors on their bodies -black and white equal lines on both sides of the body these lines do not differ from each other, female zebra are more easily tamed and amenable for riding, and therefore could be raised at the court, but they do not live very long in captivity. 

 

The trunk of Abyssinian elephants has a kind of appendage of two small fingers called milqaṭ, with which it grasps objects.

This elephant's forelegs are longer than his hind-legs, which enables him to sit on his rump. He is also more docile than

the Indian elephant. The Indian elephant has five toes as opposed to the Abyssinian's four. The Abyssinian elephants are

smaller than the Indians, their skin is rougher and their bodies are less proportional. They are also more dangerous and

even dare to kill humans. Armenian elephants have bodies that recall saluki dogs with their firm bellies and swift running

ability. The elephant's teeth are not canines or similar teeth because the elephant does not bite with them but gores,

hence they are horn-like, similar to the horns of a bull. The females of the Indian breed have no tusks, while the females

of the Abyssinian breed do. The male has powerful sexual urges, which may be dangerous for their trainers during that

period, because elephants in that condition become extremely aggressive. The female conceives once in three years and

the gestation period is seven years. At the age of two years the young elephant, the daghfal (1), grows teeth, and at this age

the mother tries to wean him. If the young one refuses to cooperate she is liable to take strong measures such as biting

his tail or his ears, which could be harmful and even sever these organs.