New zebra foal born in Singapore Zoo on Dec 28

A new zebra foal was born in Singapore Zoo on Dec 28, 2021. This is the second foal born into the zoo’s zebra family. 

This comes three months after the birth of Izara, the family’s first foal who was born on Sep 30 and the first Grevy’s zebra born in Singapore. ‘Izara’ is of African origin and means ‘star’, and the new foal has yet to be named.

Grevy’s zebras are one of three zebra species, the other two being plains zebras and mountain zebras. They are also the most endangered of the three, with less than 2,000 left in the wild and 400 in human care worldwide. 

As such, the birth of the new foal and Izara are monumental in Grevy’s zebra conservation. 

“Every birth is a celebration, and this healthy and active foal will play a part in contributing to the population under human care,” said Dr Luis Neves, vice-president of Mandai Wildlife Group’s animal care, when Izara was born. 

The zoo’s adult Grevy’s zebras arrived in Singapore in 2020 from the Tanganyika Wildlife Park in the United States, and are part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria’s population management programme.