Zebra foal shows off its tiny stripes at Cotswold Wildlife Park
A Chapman’s zebra foal, only a few weeks old, stays near its mother while taking in the surroundings of its new home at Cotswold Wildlife Park in Oxfordshire.
Keepers at Cotswold Wildlife Park were surprised when one of the oldest zebras in the group fell pregnant. The as yet unnamed foal was born on 5th June to twelve year old first-time mother Sarah. As one of the lowest ranking females in the group, Sarah hadn’t previously shown any signs of interest in mating with Dampy, the foal’s father, so it was to some surprise when she became pregnant. Usually dominant females within the group give birth, so the foal is an unexpected delightful addition to the herd.
The new foal shares its large paddock at the Cotswold Wildlife Park not only with its family of Chapman’s zebras (Equus burchellii chapmanni) but with three white rhinos. Both fascinating species have been at the Park for over thirty years and this latest arrival marks the Park’s forty-fifth zebra birth.
Curator of Cotswold Wildlife Park, Jamie Craig, said: “We are always delighted with any birth at the Park but to arrive at work to the sight of a new born foal gambolling around the zebra and rhino paddock was especially satisfying – watching the youngster settling in with the herd and familiarising itself with the rhino under the watchful eye of its mother was a real treat for the visitors on the day. We look forward to watching it develop, hopefully with slightly more “African” weather!”
Cotswold Wildlife Park is open evry day (except Christmas Day) so why not pop on down and see the new zebra foal along with over 260 species of other animals in stunning landscape parkland and gardens.
Explore Gloucestershire
25 June 2012
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