Sporting her fluffy-soft baby fur, Kasema the Zebra foal galloped in the winter sun during her debut at the Berlin Zoo.

Photo Credit:  Zoo Berlin

As Kasema followed her mother Bella’s every move around the exhibit, she displayed a mix of elegance and stumbling, exuberance and caution that is unique to young animals.

Born on January 5, Kasema still has the brownish-striped, fluffy coat of a foal.  As she grows, she will gradually gain the black-and-white stripes of an adult.  Like all foals, she stays close to her mother for protection. 

Kasema and Bella are Grant’s Zebras, also known as Boehm’s Zebras.  They the most common of the six subspecies of Plains Zebra, which are all found in sub-Saharan Africa.  In the wild, they live in small groups called harems, made up of one stallion and up to six mares and their foals.  For now, Grant’s Zebras are widespread and not under significant threat.