Duo of Rare Zebra Foals Born
We are overjoyed to announce the arrival of not one, but two endangered Grevy’s zebra foals, born just a couple of weeks apart.
The first foal, named Oakley by his keepers, was born on 13 July to mum, Akuna, followed by a female foal born 17 days later, on 30 July, to mum, Nafeesa.
Whilst Nafeesa’s foal was up and standing within the first hour of being born, unfortunately Oakley faced a much more difficult beginning.
Shortly after his birth, keepers noticed he was having trouble getting to his feet, which is critical for feeding from his mother, so the keepers had to step in.
The dedicated team provided round-the-clock support, helping Oakley to his feet when needed, administering medication and closely monitoring his progress.
To the joy of the keepers, at around two-weeks-old Oakley began to stand independently and since then, has made encouraging process, so much so, that the two foals have been introduced and have taken their first steps out on the safari this week, side by side with their mothers.
Head Keeper of Ungulates, Lisa Watkins, said, “The team are delighted with the birth of not one but two Grevy’s zebra foals. Grevy’s zebras are pregnant for around 12 months, so it was a long wait for the duo to be born a year later, a few weeks apart in July.
“Unfortunately, the male had a difficult start to the world, so the team had to give 24-hour support for the first three weeks of his life. Whilst we continue to monitor him closely, he is now doing really well and the keepers who provided the care have chosen the name Oakley. For the female foal, we chose three names, put them to a vote to the whole of the Safari Park team and the name ‘Ozara’ won.
“Every birth is so important for conservation. Grevy’s zebras are classified as ‘endangered’, with around 3,000 individuals thought to remain in the wild. Successful conservation breeding programmes in zoos and wildlife parks can play an important role by creating back up populations, alongside increasing knowledge of this threatened species.”
Grevy’s zebra are the largest of all equids (horses) and are the most endangered of the three species of zebra as well as being one of Africa’s most endangered large mammals.
In the wild they face threats such as hunting, habitat loss and in recent years, severe drought, causing a decline in numbers with populations now only found in northern Kenya and Ethiopia.
The Park's Grevy’s zebras are part of an EEP (EAZA ex-situ programme), a collaborative effort between European wildlife parks and zoos that aims to help conservation dependent species.
As part of this programme, we regularly donate funds to the Grevy’s Zebra Trust, to help with conservation efforts in the wild, such as helping provide water sources for the zebra and the human communities who live near them.
The foals are half siblings, as both share the same dad, Angus, who has recently been on a summer holiday to another zoo, with the sole purpose of winning favour with the resident females to help boost the population.
Guests can see the foals on the Safari Drive, with their mums and big sister Lola, which is included in the admission price.
