A new face is starting to step out at the Los Angeles Zoo.
A male Grevy’s zebra foal born this spring has begun appearing before visitors after spending several weeks off-exhibit with his mother, according to KTLA. Zoo officials said he is expected to begin regular exhibit appearances next week, if weather conditions allow.
It is the zoo’s first Grevy’s zebra foal since 2019.
“This is an exciting birth for the Zoo and for the entire animal care team,” Dominick Dorsa II, Director of Animal Care, said, per KTLA. “It’s been quite some time since we’ve had a Grevy’s zebra foal at the Zoo, and now guests will be able to see the behaviors of a juvenile zebra that they may have not experienced before.”
Grevy’s zebras are the largest zebra species. Adult males can reach about 1.5 metres at the shoulder and weigh nearly 454 kilograms, while females are usually about 10 percent smaller.
The foal’s stripe pattern is unique to him, giving him his own identifying markings.
In the wild, Grevy’s zebras typically live 12 to 13 years. In captivity, they may live 22 to 30 years. They are native to scrub-grassland regions of southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya.
The species is endangered. There are likely fewer than 2,000 remaining in the wild after a 54 percent decline over the past 40 years. That drop has been tied to habitat loss, unregulated hunting, disease and predators.
The zoo said the foal’s birth bolsters the North American Grevy’s zebra population and gives visitors another chance to learn about the species and the threats it faces in the wild.
“This birth not only helps support the Grevy’s zebra’s population in North America, but it will undoubtedly help educate guests about this important animal,” Dorothy Belanger, Curator of Mammals, said, per KTLA.
“Guests visiting the Zoo will have the unique opportunity to observe this young animal and build a connection with the species. We’re thrilled for this new zebra and how it will help shape the minds of our guests and hopefully inspire them to be a part of the conservation of wildlife and nature.”
