Marwell Zoo welcomes a zebra foal
The zoo near Winchester has announced the birth of an endangered Grevy’s zebra foal
Last updated 21st Jul 2022
A new addition to the Zoo has been welcomed by first time Zebra mum Khumba, the endangered species of Grevy’s zebras.
Grevy’s are the largest zebra species and are found in Northern Kenya and Southern Ethiopia where there are currently thought to be fewer than 2,000 in the wild.
They became endangered due to extended periods of drought and poaching, but things have improved with numbers thought to be stabilising.
In the wild zebras generally give birth at night, and Khumba did exactly that with her new arrival and gave the Zoo keepers a lovely surprise in the morning when they arrived in work.
Born on Friday, Khumba and her foal are part of the European Ex-Situ breeding programme to maintain a healthy captive population and preserving genetic diversity for the future.
They are currently enjoying each other’s company, bonding without Zoo involvement so the gender is not known yet and a name will be decided later on.
A few Zebra facts… did you know?
- Zebra pregnancies last 12-13 months, with foals able to stand after an hour of being born1
- Marwell Zoo is the only Zoo in the UK to house all three species of Zebra; Grevy’s, Hartmann’s and Plains.
- The Grevy’s zebra populations have declined 54% in the last 30 years.