ST. PAUL -- The Como Park Zoo is celebrating the birth of a second baby zebra this year.
The zoo’s female zebras Thelma and Minnie gave birth within weeks of each other after a male zebra was added to the exhibit last year.
Minnie gave birth to Melee on July 27. And Thelma gave birth to a male foal sometime Saturday night or early Sunday.
“Thelma was getting very big. We knew it was a matter of days before her baby would make its appearance,” said Allison Jungheim, senior zookeeper at Como Zoo. “There were no complications, and mother and baby appear to be doing great.”
The latest foal does not have a name yet, said Matt Reinartz, the zoo’s marketing and public relations manager.
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“We might hold a contest, name the foal after a donor or a zookeeper may make the decision,” he said.
The foals and mothers can be seen in the zebra and kudu exhibit from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the St. Paul zoo. The newborn foal is walking and has been closely shadowing its mother.
Visitors will notice that the stripes on a newborn zebra are brown. They will darken to black sometime in the first nine to 18 months, the zoo notes.
The zoo is home to Grant’s zebras, which can be found in the grassy plains of eastern Africa, including Kenya and Ethiopia.
Last year, Como Zoo was given breeding recommendations and added Ulysses, a male zebra, to the exhibit, said Jennifer Downham, Como Friends’ director of individual giving. Ulysses fathered both foals.
“The births of the foals - that were just five weeks apart - show what great care the Como Zoo provides the animals,” she said. “They ensured that the mothers were healthy going into the situation, and as a result, the babies were healthy.”
Downham and Reinartz saw the youngest zebra Sunday.
“It was lying on the ground next to its mother, cute and tired. It also looked really fuzzy,” Downham said.
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“It’s another reason to come out to the zoo and enjoy these beautiful summer days,” Reinartz said. “The baby zebras are super cute.”
The Pioneer Press is a media partner with Forum News Service.
