A safari park has welcomed its second foal in four weeks from an endangered species of zebra.
West Midland Safari Park said the “adorable” colt, born in the early hours of 12 August, was steady on his feet within an hour of his birth. The foal, who the park has named Gamba, was born to first-time mum Montana and second-time dad, Quigley. Gamba joins Grace, who was born on 26 July to a mare called Akuna, also by Quigley.
The park said Grace, at 17 days older, has already been busy “showing her younger brother the ropes”.
Gamba spent his first day getting used to his surroundings and meeting the park’s other residents including a giraffe 6m tall.
The safari park’s African ungulates keeper Lauren Goodman said: “We were delighted to discover that we had another addition to the Grévy’s zebra family over the weekend. He joins his half-sister, Grace, on the African reserve and both are full of energy whilst exploring their new home. Mum Montana, who came from Poland Zoo, had been looking very uncomfortable over the past few days, but she foaled with no problems at all.
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“This is not only great news for the park, but also for the Grévy zebra as a species. With only approximately 3,000 left in the wild, they are classified as ‘endangered’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. We will take great pride in watching both of our new additions grow up over the coming months,” she said.
This month, the park dedicated a week to raising awareness for the Grévy’s species and funds for the Grévy’s Zebra Trust, which works with communities in Kenya and Ethiopia to engage them in wildlife protection.
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