Zebra foal born at Noah's Ark

Polly and Nola, 2 female zebras arrived at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in the outskirts of Bristol in September 2017. The girls joined the zoo’s existing male Zebra, Zebedee. One year on and the zoo’s herd is expanding again with the arrival of a zebra foal.

Polly gave birth to a healthy foal on 19th September. The little girl was born first thing in the morning whilst the zoo was empty and so the keepers were greeted with a welcome surprise in the morning. New born foals are born with their stripes, although they appear brown and white, and the young are able to stand on their own within 15 minutes of birth.

During the first few days after birth the mothers will keep their calves close by and limit contact with other zebras, allowing them to form close bonds.

Emma Green, Head African Animal Keeper at Noah’s Ark said “We are overjoyed at the arrival of the foal. She is certainly a character and loves to frolic around the field close to mum. Zebedee also seems very happy with this addition to his herd.”

This is the second addition this year to the zoo’s Africa section. Their ostrich couple, Octavia and Oscar recently hatched a large clutch of eggs who can now be seen running around their enclosure behind the Zebras.

The zoo has decided to open up the naming process to the public. Visitors can vote on their favourite name on the Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm Facebook page. Visitors can see the little girl on the Africa section of the zoo surrounded by the giraffe, rhinos, ostriches and African pygmy goats.