The male foal arrived in the early hours of yesterday morning (Monday 15 August) to mum Florence and dad, Mac.
Our keepers have named the new youngster, Angus.
There could be as few as 1,900 Grevy’s zebra remaining in the wild, with the species listed as endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List.
They are the largest of the world’s three zebra species and are found only in isolated populations in Ethiopia and Northern Kenya.
Nick Davis, assistant curator of mammals at the zoo, said:
Angus was up and standing within an hour. He then had one or two little stumbles as he got used to running around on its long legs but now he’s looking really strong. He’s currently sporting brown stripes but eventually they’ll turn black as he matures.
Our new arrival is a very important and welcome addition to the endangered species breeding programme. Sadly, Grevy’s zebra numbers have declined more than 85% in the last 30 years and continue to do so across the African continent. They face a very real threat of extinction and so it’s important that we maintain a healthy population of Grevy’s zebra in European zoos to help ensure their long-term survival.
The decline of the Grevy’s zebra is attributed to a range of factors including a reduction of water sources, habitat loss, hunting and disease. The species has already become disappeared across most of its range and is already extinct in Somalia and Sudan.
The arrival of Angus takes the total number of Grevy’s zebra at the zoo to five and is the first foal to be sired by the our resident male, Mac.
Grevy’s zebra facts
- Scientific name: Equus grevyi
- The foal was born in the early hours of Monday 15 August to mum, Florence and dad, Mac.
- The Grevy’s zebra is also known as the imperial zebra – the largest species in the Equidae (horse) family
- Today, the species is only found in small and isolated populations in Ethiopia and Northern Kenya
- Current estimates put the total population of Grevy’s Zebra remaining in the wild at approximately 1,966 to 2,447
- According to the African Wildlife Foundation, there are half as many of these zebras today as there were just 20 years ago
- Of the world’s remaining three species of zebra, the Grevy’s zebra is the largest and also the most endangered in the wild