Rare, Threatened Grevy's Zebra Born At Los Angeles Zoo
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A rare and threatened species of zebra was born at the Los Angeles Zoo this month, the first zebra birth at the zoo in 30 years, and she's set to make her public debut Tuesday.
The unnamed zebra was born on April 2 to 7-year-old male Khalfani and 5-year-old Jamila, both of whom are Grevy's zebras that came to the zoo in 2016 as part of a species survival plan.
"Grevy's zebras are the largest and most threatened of the three zebra species," Alisa Behar, curator of mammals for the Los Angeles Zoo, said in a statement. "When this herd of zebras came to us a few years ago as part of a species survival plan, it was with the hope that they would get along and produce offspring. We are thrilled with the arrival of this female foal, not only because she helps contribute to her species' survival, but also because she allows Angelenos a unique opportunity to see a zebra foal up close as she assimilates into the herd."
Grevy's zebras come from the open scrub grasslands of southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya. They have the skinniest stripes of any zebra, and they run all the way down to a white belly and rear-end, whereas other zebra species have stripes on their bellies. The life span of a Grevy's zebra in the wild is about 18 years.
Visitors to the zoo will be able to view the foal and her mother in their habitat daily, unless she is in the back bonding with her mother.
