NORFOLK, Va. – A female Hartmann’s mountain zebra foal was born Thursday, June 2 at the Virginia Zoo.
The baby’s parents are 15-year-old Abbey and five-year-old Zack. It’s Abbey’s third filly and Zack’s second.
The Zoo reports that the new foal weighed 77.55 pounds, is approximately 3 feet tall and is very healthy.
The Zoo says this is a significant birth for the species as Hartmann’s mountain zebras are threatened in the wild and there are less than 60 captive individuals in the North American Species Survival Plan (SSP).
This new addition brings the herd to five zebras at the Zoo. Emilie was born last April to Abbey and Zack and 12-year-old Rose came to the Zoo in 2012 from Tampa, Florida.
Abbey and the foal are behind the scenes for plenty of bonding time before going on exhibit.
Each zebra has a unique stripe pattern and after giving birth the mother will position herself between her foal and the rest of the herd so that the foal will imprint upon her stripe pattern. The foal will stay with its mother for a little over a year before being weaned.
The Zoo will hold a naming contest for the new foal in the next few weeks!
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