Zebra sisters united for first time at Newquay Zoo

Layla and half-sister Luna had never met before, even though they share the same mum!

Author: Emma HartPublished 23rd Nov 2021

Newquay Zoo has recently welcomed a new Chapman’s zebra to its herd, uniting two sisters in the process.

One-year old Layla arrived at Newquay Zoo earlier this autumn and joins three other zebras: Sarah, Ziga and half-sister Luna.

Both Layla and Luna, who is three-years-old, originally came from Cotswolds Wildlife Park in Oxfordshire and share the same mother.

Although they hadn’t met each other before, they got on incredibly well as soon as they were introduced.

Dave Rich, Keeper Team Leader at Newquay Zoo, said: "Chapman’s zebras are highly sociable animals, with females tending to stay in the same groups all of their lives, so we expect all four zebras to get on really well".

While Chapman’s zebras are not considered a threatened species, they are extinct in Burundi and Lesotho.

In recent years, the total number of animals has declined by approximately 25% due to farming, hunting and poaching, along with droughts fuelled by climate change.

You can find Newquay’s herd of Chapman’s zebras in the African Savannah, along with wildebeest and nyala antelopes.

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