THE birth of one of the rarest mammals on the planet has thrilled keepers at Marwell Zoo.
A critically endangered African wild ass foal was born on Sunday, August 20. This is important as there are fewer than 200 left in the wild.
Native to Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, African wild asses are preyed on by lions and Ethiopian wolves. They have also historically been hunted by humans for food. This has resulted in very low numbers surviving in the wild and the numbers continue to decline.
The new arrival at Marwell is reported to be doing well and can be seen with mother Nadifa in the paddock opposite Okapi Playground.
The father, Lars, has been moved into an enclosure next door to the banteng whilst Nadifa bonds with her new arrival.
This is Nadifa’s third foal and Lars has become a father for the fifth time. Keepers have confirmed the foal is male but haven’t given him a name yet.
Darren Ives, senior animal keeper, hoofstock, said: “The team is very excited after a year-long wait for the foal to be born, and what makes it even more special is we haven’t had an African wild ass foal born at Marwell since 2020.
“The foal has already been seen doing ‘zoomies’ around the paddock and is looking nice and healthy.
“The foal has also caught the attention of the addax (who are also Critically Endangered) in the enclosure next to them as they have been seen watching each other through the fence.”
African wild asses are members of the horse family, Equidae, and are thought to be ancestors of domestic donkeys.
They have short, smooth grey coats that fade to white on their underbellies and large ears that provide an excellent sense of hearing used to avoid threats.
Often living near water sources, African wild asses have a black stripe along their spine, known as a dorsal stripe, a stiff upright mane and horizontal black stripes on their legs.
With so few of these animals left in the wild, it’s more important than ever to ensure there is a healthy, genetically diverse population of African wild asses in zoos as a backup for populations in the wild.
The new foal will play an important role in the future preservation of its species for future generations.
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