Month-old endangered zebra foals settling into the Whipsnade family have been spotted horsing around and having fun.
Two Grevy’s zebra babies, Katie and Kito, were born in early September and have been frolicking around their enclosure ever since - to the delight of keepers and visitors.
There are only about 2,600 Grevy’s zebras left in the wild, and the species is on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Endangered Species.
Kito was the 36th Grevy’s zebra to be born at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.
Team leader Mark Holden said: “Like all zebras, when Katie and Kito were born they just seemed to be all ears and legs.
“It wasn’t long before they were bounding around together, running and jumping around at a huge pace, before eventually running out of steam and returning to their respective mums.”
Katie’s mum is called Nafisa, and Kito is Henna’s foal.
“It’s all typical behaviour for young zebra foals, as they learn what their legs are for, then going back to mum for comfort. Katie and Kito are settling in really well, interacting with the rest of the group of Grevy’s zebras here at the zoo and exploring their surroundings.”
Mark said they are “very privileged” to have “successfully bred this beautiful but endangered species for 29 years”.
For more information about Whipsnade, click here.
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