Second Grevy's Zebra Foal For Great Plains Zoo
December 19, 2011
Trinity, the 10-year-old Grevy's Zebra at Great Plains Zoo in South Dakota gave birth to a male foal weighing 80 pounds (36.28 kg). After a 13-month gestation, zebras give birth to a single foal. The foal typically weighs between 50 and 80 pounds. The Zoo’s animal care staff monitored the new family through the video camera system.
“Grevy’s Zebras are facing extinction, so this is a very important birth, not only for the Zoo, but for the survival of the entire Grevy’s Zebra population,” said Elizabeth A. Whealy, President and CEO of the Great Plains Zoo. “Our Zoo plays a crucial role in maintaining the captive breeding population.”
Just like human newborns, the foal will spend much of his time sleeping, eating and settling in with his mother. He and his mother can be seen in the arena of the Hoofstock winter viewing building. This is the second foal born at the Zoo -- in September, the Zoo’s other 10-year-old Grevy’s named Demani also gave birth to a male weighing 100 pounds. That foal is thriving. The Zoo plans to ask the public for help in naming the pair of zebra foals in the new year.
Photo Credit: Great Plains Zoo
The Great Plains Zoo is a key breeder contributing to the success of Grevy’s Zebras; it now has five of about 185 Grevy’s Zebras in captivity in Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited zoos in the U.S. The Great Plains Zoo is one of only 39 AZA-accredited institutions to hold Grevy’s Zebras.