Two baby zebras now on display at Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom has welcomed two recently born Grevy’s zebras to the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail.
Youka, born April 26, and Zalika, born May 1, can be now seen on the trail, Scott Terrell, Director of Animal & Science Operations for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, writes on the Disney Parks Blog.
The two foals are being closely watched by their moms. Zuri hovers over her foal Zalika, who is a bit bashful. Laylee has always been very curious and outgoing, and it seems her foal Youka is as well, Terrell writes.
Zebras learn by watching and mimicking their moms. So they will watch as their mothers chew hay and bathe themselves in dust. They will then copy and learn from this.
The Grevy’s zebras are the most endangered species of zebra. There are about 2,500 of these zebras in the world. They historically inhabited the plains of Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Kenya in East Africa. But their population has been cut in half in the last three decades and they now primarily are in Southern Ethiopia and Northern Kenya.
The Grevy’s zebra is the largest of all wild equines standing 8 to 9 feet from head to tail with a tail that is 22 to 30 inches long. Adult zebras weigh 770 to 990 pounds.
